The Incinerator III
by Writer207
Summary: My name is Kenny Gordon, more commonly known as the Flamethrower. I'm not that popular by readers or trusted by my colleagues, so you've probably never heard of me, but I'm getting there! I try to catch some bad guys in a way that Titanio doesn't like, Spark causes trouble and things get out of hand quickly. (T to be safe)
1. I stalk a villain

**This story is intended as the fourth installment in the Incinerator series. They can be found in the Mighty Med and Elite Force archives, respectively. You don't need to have read those to understand what's going on here. Set after the destruction of the Mighty Med.**

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 **Hey, everyone! I'll try to make this as short as possible, as I'm sure that you're all excited to see what Kenny's up to this time around. For this story, I'll try to update every Friday evening so the story'll be done within two months or so. I did consider calling this "Flamethrower", but I'm keeping that title for another story. That's right - there's a fourth coming up! Though, it's more of a sequel to the Incinerator series as a whole. But first let's focus on this story, shall we?**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

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It was a normal, nice, beautiful December afternoon. At least, it would be if you could describe a day like this as 'nice'. Today was particularly cold, wet and unpleasant, whether you liked that kind of weather or not. All I know was that it wasn't too pleasant for me. I had already spent most of my day standing outside, on the corner of Old York Road and West Erie Avenue, waiting for this man.

I've been having a hard time finding him. Not only did most people hide their faces under umbrellas or hoodies, but the bad weather made it impossible to look too far. Cars were driving through the puddles and some passersby got wet, including me. But I stayed true to my work and stood there, waiting for this man to show up.

I can hear you think. _If you've been standing there all day, in the pouring rain, that man must be dangerous._ I can guarantee you, he is a very dangerous man. To any Normo, he can and will appear as your everyman-type of person. Except that he's quite rich and made a name for himself in the criminal world. He is so vicious, he has a nickname and occasionally has a part to play in the newest MM comic books: the Vanquisher.

Right when I was dreaming about moving away from Philadelphia to sunnier and more pleasant places like LA, my villain came into view. He wasn't wearing his villain outfit - you'd be crazy to do so during the day when everyone could watch and when you're not actually in the mood to be comic-book level evil. Still, I knew his face (thank you, borrowed Davenport-equipment!) and it helped me identify his one-inch face scar and find it on a man who would pass me by within seconds.

When he had passed me, I started following him. As a villain, he soon noticed he was being followed. The Normos around us suspected nothing, as usual - they're so oblivious sometimes. The Vanquisher looked over his shoulder a few times, and every time I made sure he knew I was staring. At one point, he turned to his right, into an alley of the avenue. Naturally, I followed him into it and smiled. For business like this, alleys were the perfect place. I could do my job 'in the open' without risking being seen too much. Nobody paid too much attention to what happened in the alleys anyway. That would come in handy, especially since I planned on using my flamethrowers if the Vanquisher became aggressive.

The villain turned around. He had put on his ugly face mask. And when I say 'ugly', I mean it was a monstrosity. It was one of the many reasons he was so scary sometimes. I, however, wasn't very much impressed.

"Who dares to follow me?" His voice didn't impress me either. I'm certain the point was to intimidate me, but I wasn't feeling it. He did a great job sounding intimidating, though. I just wasn't feeling it. I took my hands out of my 'pockets' - they were only holes in my coat - and revealed my favorite weapon to the villain. I'd tell you how he looked when he saw it, but his mask left no room for the analysis of facial expressions.

"Me, the Incinerator," I said. _Kenny Gordon for the friends,_ I added in my mind. There was a time where that name struck fear in the minds and hearts of minor heroes. I had repeated meetings with my arch nemesis Snowstorm - we never got to figure out who won more battles, her or me. Yes, I was evil once. Don't judge. We're all human, we make mistakes. Okay, not everyone is human per se, but you get the point. Anyway, the point is that I'm a good person trying to shake his past mistakes. Bringing in the Vanquisher may help me with that redemption. "Any last requests before I attack?"

It turns out the Vanquisher didn't have any. He just started attacking me, without answering my question. Rude, but anticipated. He ran straight towards me, starting the fight.

I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna go into detail. That's only because I don't remember much from that fight. What I can tell you about it, is that it was a dirty fight with a lot of punches. He also tried to stab me but he didn't manage to hit me. I do remember I ended it by landing one of my flamethrowers on his head. The villain sank to his knees and fell on the ground - I'd won! I put my weapons away and smiled at the unmoving body at my feet. Now I only had to bring him to Mighty Max and then I could celebrate with a nice beer and a marathon. I'm still deciding what show or movie series to watch, but I'm leaning towards Game of Thrones. I still had to watch all episodes of season six.

Anyway, that's what I was planning to do. Yeah, you've noticed it: past tense. Because someone came along to rain on my parade. It started when I noticed someone else walked into the alley. I couldn't help but recognize her and I shook my head. I definitely didn't want her around. I'm not anti-women, but I am anti-her. She thought she was so special, but every hero and villain could say that if they wanted. She thought she was the best, the most intimidating - I've seen better and more intimidating. I can't stand the sight of her and her know-it-all attitude. She probably has anger management issues galore and it didn't help that she dated my brother, Kaz, for a while.

Ladies and gentlemen, Please welcome the winner of the 'Least-Wanted-Person-Around-Right-Now' Award: Spark!

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked me once she came to a halt. She folded her arms and glared at me. Something told me she wasn't happy to see me here - must be the tone of her voice.

"Being a hero," I responded, "What about you?"

"You can't do this," she said. I glanced at the Vanquisher.

"You should've said that before I bashed his head," I responded, "Besides, what are you making a problem about? I caught a villain!" I know some heroes have a problem with capturing a villain out of context, and apparently, Spark has it, too.

"You stalked him," she said. I shrugged.

"So? As if you guys don't do that." Titanio once confessed to me that he keeps track of villains. Now tell me, what is the logic behind keeping track of the most dangerous guys on the planet but doing nothing to prevent being evil? Doesn't make sense. Truly, I believe something like real-life private is a thing. It basically means you're not giving up your social life to become a villain and the person in the comics would be a caricaturistic version of yourself. Most names were pseudonyms, anyway. Not Megahertz's, though - it's so hard for him to have a real, human life. He's a cyborg, after all. Poor guy can't lead a normal life anymore because of his cyborg side.

I was trying to make a point here. I lost it. But it had something to do with privacy and Titanio's ridiculous ideas about spying on villains.

Anyway, Spark shook her head in response to what I'd said and glared at me. It'd make a wicked evil glare if she were a villain. But she's not, so I should be worried about my well-being. That glare didn't mean anything good. At best, I should run. But that would mean she'd win, and I do not like her winning. Not today, not ever!

"He wasn't doing anything evil," she said, "You don't have the right."

Excuse me? "Don't have the right?" I asked her, "Spark, that man is a murderer, a thief, probably a rapist if he had the chance... This man needs to be brought to justice." I pointed at the still unconscious man. He was still laying on the ground behind me. Good. Wouldn't want him to get away.

"I know," she said, "But it's not up to you to make that call."

"He tried to blow up the city!" I exclaimed in irritation and disbelief, "Isn't that enough?" When I read the latest Captain Atomic comic book a week or two ago, the Vanquisher was the big bad. His grand plan was to place a bomb in some abandoned facility (villains seem to like those places) to blow a hole in the city. I don't remember what his reasons were. Maybe the Vanquisher had finally lost his mind. Either way, he had an evil plan involving explosives. Spoiler alert: Captain Atomic thwarted his plan, but the Vanquisher got away.

Spark shook her head. "Captain Atomic and the Vanquisher fought and the villain got away. It was a fair retreat. You didn't have the right to bring him in now." She took a step towards me and glared. I was taller than her and yet, though I hate to admit it, her glare was quite intimidating. Strange how the world works. I barely react when the Vanquisher tries his best to be intimidating, yet all a small, blonde-haired superhero teen has to do to be intimidating is to glare.

"You know," I said, "I don't like to wait around for him to do something evil again. He shouldn't walk around freely. He should be locked away."

"He will, when someone thwarts his plan," Spark said, slightly raising her voice. Did I mention her attitude was really getting on my nerves? I'm certain the feeling's mutual. I shook his my head.

"That's a stupid rule!" I exclaimed, "Who made that one up? Titanio?" I wouldn't be surprised if the tin can had anything to do with that rule. Spark shook her head, too, definitely disagreeing with me.

"It's always been like that," she said, "If he flees after committing those crimes, you have to let them go."

"Really?" I said, "That's an actual rule? Well, I'm gonna change that one day. All villains will be able to be taken in on sight. How about that?"

Spark folded her arms again. "If it makes you feel better, they don't usually are able to escape."

I nodded. Yes, Spark, I am aware not many villains can escape their fates. I am aware the Vanquisher managed to get away from the Captain during their latest fight. I am aware you like to stick to the rulebook imposed on all heroes, yet I am taken aback you stick to it. But hey, I'm the new guy. So far, nobody forced me to swear allegiance to that rulebook, if such a book existed. Those rules don't apply to me.

"I know that," I told her, "But here's some news for you: to hell with that rule!" Spark groaned. Was I pushing my luck too far? Her being annoyed may not work to my advantage. Maybe I should take it down a notch. But no way I'm letting her win!

"You are impossible," she said. I nodded and half-smiled at her.

"Thank you." Better to take it as a compliment than to rant about how 'possible' I could be. That's an argument I wouldn't win. "But if you'll excuse me, I've got a villain to-" I trailed off when I turned away from Spark to the Vanquisher.

At least, I thought I was turning around to face my villain again. There was just one little problem with that: he was gone. He must've run away when Spark and I were arguing. You can understand that right there and right then, in that stupid alley in the unpleasant weather and in a not-so-good mood, I was pissed when I noticed the Vanquisher had vanished. The only way he could've gone to was away from us, to the other side of the alley, to take off his mask and disappear in the crowd out there. There was one thing I could think: if it weren't for Spark, he'd still be captured. I turned back to Spark.

"You!" I said, pointing my flamethrower at her accusingly, "You're the reason he got away!"

"Me?" Spark said, "If you'd just listened, you wouldn't have been here in the first place and you wouldn't have let him escape."

"I wouldn't have caught him!" I felt anger levels rise in me. My first catch in a long time, my first catch that mattered in a long time, and he ran away! That man could've boosted my credibility as a hero and my entrée as a big-time player in this complex world filled with heroes. And now he's just another guy I let go, another villain I let escape.

I hated it when they ran away after I catch them. It makes me look bad.

I glared at Spark. "Why'd you have to show up again?" I asked her, not even trying to hide my irritation and anger. If she hadn't shown up, the Vanquisher would be off the streets and behind bars in no time. It's in everyone's best interests, with the numbers being uneven. A large group of villains with only a limited number of heroes to face them. They could focus on other threats. But Spark just had to show up, didn't she? She's done me wrong a few times before, too, this isn't just a question of today. The most prominent example is her interference in my mission against Nox. I had Lady Midnight right where I wanted her, but then she had to come along and ruin it for me. She's the only reason why Nox got away! Needless to say, I still blame her for that. So, naturally, she still blames me for my incompetence while it wasn't my fault at all. You know that, right? She's the reason that mission failed, not me!

At that point, I've had it with Spark. I left her in that alley, turning around and walking out of it, vanishing in the crowd. It had stopped raining, thank goodness, but it still was wet and cold. I needed something non-wet, something warm. So I decided to go home and put on different clothes and to leave my flamethrowers there. Then, when I was wearing dry clothes again, I could go to Titanio and complain about that stupid rule.

Yeah. Sounds like a good plan.


	2. I walk into a door

**Before we begin, just this quickly: my thoughts are with the victims and the people of Barcelona. Terror should have no place in our society, or anywhere for that matter. Don't let them win, guys. Don't give in to fear. Stay strong. We've got your back.**

 **Anyway... hey guys! Here I am, as promised with the new chapter of this story. Here is my response to the review and then, you can jump right into the chapter.**

 _LabRatsWhore:_ _Thanks for reviewing! He sure does. Why does Spark always have to show up and throw a wrench into everything? *sigh* I haven't seen Mech-X4, but I have heard of it. And good luck in college! I'm sure you'll do great._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

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After that quick clothing change, I went straight to the Tidwell Mansion. I didn't need to look up the address anymore because I'd been there more often than I had expected the past few months. I've come to a point where I can't even pass this street without thinking about the superhero. Which is kind of weird, if you think about it.

Either way, I arrived there and walked through the iron gates: they seemed closed but were actually just shut. You'd think Titanio would be more careful these days, but that didn't mean Henry Tidwell also was more careful. I walked to the door and rang the doorbell, patiently waiting for Martin to appear. And within mere seconds, Martin answered the door.

Martin, Henry Tidwell's butler, was a tall man and quite intimidating to those who don't know he doesn't pose any threat. I once falsely thought he was a dangerous man - I had to, since he was working for a rich superhero in a suit. He's actually a sweet, nice guy even if he rarely looks like he's having a nice day. He's got this permanent serious face and you'd have to pick up the nuances to know how he's feeling. I haven't gotten to that point yet.

"Welcome back," Martin said to me. I guessed he was happy to see me, though it was still hard to tell.

"Hey, Martin." I politely nodded back at him "I'm here to see Henry."

"He's in his study," he said, "and doesn't want to be disturbed."

I shrugged. "I won't disturb him for long." Martin stared at me for quite a while, and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. I also started to think he wasn't going to allow me to enter this time. But eventually, he sighed silently and took a step aside.

"Thank you," I told him and walked inside the house.

"Anytime," he said with a serious voice, which reminded me that he wasn't British. I mean, what's up with billionaires and their old posh British gray-haired butlers? You'd think he'd fit the stereotype, but nope: Martin's American and proud.

The mansion itself didn't really impress me anymore. I've been here so many times before that I didn't care for its beauty anymore. As for description... It's a rich man's home, how else can I describe it? Imagine a big rich family's home, like you're used to seeing in the movies - not Tony Stark's mansion, any other will do. Well, that's how I can best describe Henry's house. I ain't wasting space to tell ya how this looks like.

Anyway, I walked inside and went to the stairs - the study is located on the second floor. As I was too preoccupied with what I was going to tell Henry rather than watching what was right in front of me, I bumped into someone when I reached the top of the stairs.

"I'm sorry," I immediately said, "I didn't see you." The kid stood there, watching me. Well, he wasn't exactly a kid; I'd say he was more of a teenager. Unless he's tall for his age, then I really don't know how old he could be. It wasn't the first black-haired boy I'd seen around here, but I had never met him before. I'm sure I would remember a kid like him, as he kept staring at me. It made me very uncomfortable.

"Do I know you?" I eventually asked him.

"No," the teenager said, "I'm new here. Name's Jackson."

Really, Jackson? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the name, I only believe it's better off being someone's last name than a first name. Can't really judge here, because if my parents had settled with J as a first letter, one of my brothers may have ended up with that name.

"Kenny," I told him. I wasn't wearing my costume and he didn't need to know who I was. He'd probably distrust me right away.

It looked as if he wanted to talk to me, but he didn't. He just stared. That's all he did. So, I did the only reasonable thing... I took a step away from him and continued my way to the study without saying anything to him. What'd you expect me to do, wait for a reaction? Besides, I wanted to talk to Titanio.

"Watch out for the door," the kid said, and I turned to him. He was already walking down the stairs before I could ask him what he meant with that warning. I mean, it sure did sound like a warning - I didn't really know whether he had been talking to me or somebody else. Anyway, I was too lazy to go after him (if I had to run down those stairs, I'd have to climb them again) so I decided to ignore it and go to the study.

It didn't take long before I stood there. I reached out for the door handle so I could open it, but there was one minor setback. It just... it opened itself. I mean, it swung open and hit the arm I extended to grab the handle. I immediately pulled it back, rubbing it with the other hand. It wasn't that painful, I've had worse, but that didn't mean it still couldn't hurt. I'm not made of steel, unlike other heroes; and I don't mean that in a metaphorical way, just look up Citadel.

"Damn, that kid was right," I said out loud once I realized that warning was meant for me. I also mentally cursed him for not being clearer to me about said door if he was so certain it would happen. And even if he wasn't, then damn, that was some really helpful advice.

"Kenny?" A voice said from inside the study. Titanio, obviously. "What are you..."

"Later," I responded. The thing I wanted the least at that moment, was to tell Titanio what just had happened. It'd be another reason for him to think of me as a fool. I looked at the study and frowned. It was dark inside - no wonder, when there are no lights on and the curtains were drawn. I didn't want to know why he kept it like that, but maybe he wasn't in the mood for sunlight. At least, that was my explanation for it. Make of it what you like.

"I just met this kid who warned me for the door," I then said, as not to leave Titanio answerless. The first thing he did, was to chuckle. What a sadist.

"Jackson Karaty," he said in an amused way. I shrugged in response, glaring a the shape of Titanio in the dark - my pain is not funny!

"I dunno," I responded, "Are there any other Jacksons around here?"

"No," Henry answered, "He can see into the future. We don't know how far these visions go in time, but he's useful."

 _What is? Him, or his power?_ Either way, he's useful to the hero and so he's running around here with others similar to him. "Yeah, he could be a bit clearer next time," I said.

While this was going on, I had placed my hand on the wall inside the study, looking for the light switch. There was some light in the hallway, but it didn't exactly help me when I was trying to find that dang switch. I wasn't going to stare at the shape of the man in the shadows of the study for the rest of our conversation.

"C'mon, where is it?" I eventually exclaimed, frustrated by the lack of success in finding it. Titanio chuckled again. He clapped twice in his hands and the lights turned on. That bastard - he should've told me he'd installed this kind of system. Anyway, I was finally able to look him in the eye and to read his face to see what he was actually thinking; it's one of his weak spots. But first, my eyes had to adjust to the brightness of the sudden light. I bet it was shining brighter than the lights in the hallway.

It took me a while to see clearly again. I turned to him and was ready to complain about Spark when I saw it. I was ready for about anything you can imagine, but I wasn't expecting to see his face. No, wait, it's still the same face, I just hadn't seen it in a while. It's been a month or three weeks or something since we've last spoken. I wasn't exactly prepared to see what had grown on it. No, that phrasing is too weird. Forget about that!

Either way, Henry Tidwell has grown a beard and boy, does it make him look homeless. I'd definitely say he was homeless if he wasn't wearing one of those fancy suits right now. Funny how facial hair can completely change one's look. That's, like, the only reason why I shave every once in a while. I mean, I already dislike the stubble, so I'm just curious about how he can handle this full-grown three-weeks-old beard. I dunno what's gotten into him, and I certainly do not approve of it.

I think my first verbal reaction to seeing that beard went something like this: "Dude, you have to shave."

"What are you doing here, Kenny?" Henry asked me. He looked either bored or annoyed. I can never tell, the guy uses the same expression for both. "If I remember correctly, you were sure you weren't coming back here."

I gotta give it to him, I technically did say that, yes. But you've got to understand, that was about a completely different thing.

"It's not about the kids," I said, "I need to talk to you about Spark." See? Completely different thing. I didn't come back to complain about the kids he's been taking care of, but to complain about the Spark. Totally different.

Henry rose an eyebrow, then rolled his eyes and sighed. So it wasn't boredom, but more like annoyance. Wow, shocker. As if I hadn't seen that look before. Now, don't get me wrong, Titanio's a pretty cool dude. He's one of those few people who won't kick me out because I want to talk. Other have told me to 'leave them alone' (that's paraphrasing) and have openly told me that they didn't want to have anything to do with me.

"Nobody else will listen," I continued, "Hey, I've tried talking to others before, but it's not my fault they don't trust me. Just ask Tecton. Never knew his vocabulary was that big." He either had been studying a thesaurus or he's a professor. There's no other way his vocabulary is that big if he wasn't doing either of those things. But I'm getting distracted here. I looked at Titanio, wondered what he would say or do next.

"What has she done?" Henry eventually asked. I guessed he was asking more out of courtesy than curiosity. I'm sure he couldn't care less about what she's done - he only wanted to know why I was antagonizing her again. Yes, again, so what?

"I was going after the Vanquisher," I explained, "Almost had him, too. I was this close! But then, _then_ Spark just had to swoop in and interfere. Now he's on the loose again, thanks to her." I expected a long silence to follow my explanation, but Henry proved me wrong.

"I see," he said, shortly after I was done talking. "You and Spark are fighting again." This one line, for some weird reason, frustrated the hell out of me.

"Who are you siding with?" I then asked him. He didn't bother to respond, but he kept looking at me. "I know you, you ain't the guy who doesn't take sides." I'm serious, it's impossible for him to not pick a side. It's either this or that, it always has been. And, for a long time, I believed he was the guy who was against having a beard. I actually kind of miss that clean-shaven face.

Titanio, again, didn't bother to answer my question. Y'know, the one thing I can barely stand when I am trying to talk to a person is when that person is either annoying me or not responding at all. To add to this, I wasn't in the best mood back then, so that wasn't helping at all either.

"So, you're not answering? You're hiding behind that ugly beard now?" I didn't mean to insult him, but I did it anyway. In hindsight, I still don't regret this decision. If he'd just been honest with me from the start, even if he isn't telling blatant lies, I wouldn't have insulted him.

"There still is a code to live by," he said, still staring straight at me. He cleverly avoided answering my question and dragged that damn Superhero Code into this mess. Right, 'cause that what we needed.

"I know," I responded, hoping this short response would persuade him not to further talk about it. I was wrong.

"We're still following it, all of us," he said, "The day we stop doing so is the day we lower ourselves to their level." I sighed audibly - as if one set of rules was stopping them from behaving villain-like.

"But what is the use of knowing where a villain is when you can't immediately catch him for every evil thing he's done?" I then asked. "We've got to jump into action! Screw the code."

Titanio glared at me now, and I glared back at him. He definitely didn't like the way I was acting, so much is clear. Our behavior towards one another is what caused me to tell him I wasn't coming back in the first place and this definitely ain't our first fight.

"You know who else used to say that?" He asked me. "The Dark Warrior."

He and Titanio were the best of friends, even when one was an active member of the League of Heroes and the other was content being an anti-hero. The Dark Warrior was in the hospital on that rueful day. He was getting a check-up to see if he had caught any diseases, earth-based or alien. Henry had been in a meeting of his billion-dollar company, and so he wasn't around when the attack happened. I'm pretty sure he wished he and the Dark Warrior could trade places.

"And now we've got to follow the code by the letter," I said. The Dark Warrior was a good man who didn't necessarily stick to the rules, but he did what needed to be done. It just sickened me Titanio was trying to turn him into an example of why you should follow that Superhero Code. Please! As if heroes who did follow the rules hadn't perished that day. Guess what, a lot of good people died that day, not only the nonconformists!

My apologies. I needed to get that off my chest.

"C'mon, Tidwell," I continued, "they outnumber us by far! I'm just trying to make sure the world doesn't end because there are more villains than heroes." While a lot of heroes died, there were no villains harmed in the event. The main entrance of the Mighty Max was blocked for a while, but that was the only villain-related problem that arose after the attack. Well, other than the question 'who the hell are those shape-shifters?'.

"So am I," Henry said. I rolled my eyes - I did not like his attitude that day.

"Yes, because kids will make up for all the losses we've suffered! How can you be so sure they'll want to do your dirty work?" I may have crossed a line there, but I couldn't care because I was so frustrated. Not just because of Spark anymore, no, but also because of the mention of the Dark Warrior. Because of the memories of the disaster at Mighty Med. Because I know things are much harder these days. What irked me the most, was that Titanio took in random orphaned and non-orphaned kids and young adults with powers to train them to become the next generation of heroes. And with non-orphaned, I mean those who have parents and stopped by occasionally. It's a good initiative, but it feels kinda forced to me. Heroes can emerge naturally as well, you shouldn't force children to do things they don't want to do, like poor James... No, wait, Jared? No, Jackson! I'm pretty sure his name's Jackson. Well, whatever the kid, it's just not right to do.

"One day..."

"Yes, one day," I said, having had enough of his bullshit. "Not now, not tomorrow, not the day after that, and not the children here. Henry, you have to do something other than to drag kids into this mess. We can't just train these heroes of tomorrow, especially when there may not be a tomorrow to train them for once the villains have gained world domination!" I gotta admit, I was letting off some steam back then but boy, did it feel good to say it! This was also the third time Henry had to listen to me say this. There'd been two other occasions where I specified what I hated about his idea. It wasn't easy to read his face, as I'd hoped because he remained stoic the entire time until I mentioned 'world domination'. You should've seen that eyebrow rise when I said that.

"Don't look at me like that, we both know that's a plausible future." There were lots of plausible futures: villains rule, a totalitarian shows up and takes over, the planet explodes, Trump ruins the world or saves the country, cats take over the planet... That's about as shitty as it can get, though I guess I'd prefer the first or second option. The last few options are pessimistic; plus, don't like Trump, don't like cats, so...

"Why do we always end up talking about the program?" Titanio asked me, and I shrugged. To be fair, I didn't know. Maybe because it's a relevant subject and because I don't want to give up on this planet and don't want to rely on the next generation to do the work for me. But we're trailing off here.

"You wanted to talk about Spark," Titanio continued, and I nodded.

"Yes," I said, "You didn't want to answer my question. Lemme guess: you're on her side. Why, because she follows the rules?" I know him better than I should. This means two things. One, I really should find some friends. Two, I know it when he's picked not-my-side in an argument. Besides, of course he'd pick Spark's side, she's been a hero for a longer period of time than I have and she's with the League of Heroes. He always prefers League members over non-League members.

Also, I know that look on his face. It indicated he wanted to convince me of something, but that it'll be to no avail because I'd be too stubborn to give in to his advice. That's usually what happens when he looks at me like that.

I sighed. "Look," I said, ready to explain myself again, "this shouldn't be about following the Code. This should be about catching bad guys, no matter where they are, and show them we're still very much active in the field and that they can't just do whatever they want. No matter the Code."

"Don't go down that road," Titanio said, as a warning, probably, "You could lose yourself." Yes, I know, you've already told me the first fifty times (I'm not actually counting, but I wouldn't be surprized).

"I already did. Remember Machine?" Oh, he'd better recognize that name. For those who don't remember: I met her about five to six years ago and she basically turned me into a villain. About six months to one year ago, I kind of dismantled her little group of villains (consisting of her, a shitty coward named Chameleon and a ruthless knife-wielding bastard named Savage) and went off on my own, gradually becoming a hero. I have yet to find both Machine and Savage. But that's not what this is about.

"I know what I'm doing is right," I said stubbornly, "even if I don't follow the Code."

"Stay away from the Vanquisher," Titanio then said. I shook my head. I couldn't. I wouldn't. Not while he's still out there. One more villain off the streets is one threat less to worry about.

"No," I said, once again acting stubbornly. I even folded my arms. "Are you gonna stop me or are you still pretending your arm hurts too much?" I really shouldn't have said that. Right after the disaster, he broke his arm. He had to go to a hospital to fix it but since then, it should've completely healed and he shouldn't feel any pain anymore. But, being the stubborn billionaire, he holds the arm very still and doesn't move it unless absolutely necessary. He still claims to feel pain when it moves. I don't know whether he's faking it or if he's thinking it's still hurting because it happened so close to the disaster and that mental pain still hurts.

"Goodbye, Kenny," he said. So that was it, then. He was being a coward again.

"I do hope you come to your senses and shave off that beard," I said as a jab towards his appearance. "Just because you can look homeless, doesn't mean you should." Besides, he really should think of the children reading about this moment in the comics. They wouldn't want to see their big hero like this. I mean, I wouldn't want to see him like this. He may be crushing the hearts of many different children when he doesn't stand by me. Or they might cheer him on while I keep making mistake after mistake. But one day, they'll see how good I can be...

No, they'll see how good I am. They'll recognize me for the hero I am instead of wasting time believing I'll turn back to villainy. It doesn't help that most of the surviving heroes do not trust me at all, Titanio being the only clear exception. Something like a little support has a big impact on the regular readers.

But one day, they'll cheer me on. One day, I will be recognized for the hero I am. But first, I'm gonna have to gain their trust. And what better way to do that than to go out and capture some villains, am I right?


	3. I make a stupid mistake

**Hello, dear readers. It's Friday again, so here's the next chapter. Before we get there, here are my replies to your reviews:**

 _OddDangerSpiritualCyberLover17:_ _Thanks for reviewing._

 _LabRatsWhore:_ _Every one of my OCs has some 'weird' thing or quirk. Kenny is allergic to cats and he doesn't like the allergic reaction, so he doesn't really like cats. About the roommates, that sucks. I've had some sleepless nights last year myself for the same reason, they're the worst. I hope that situation will change for you soon. Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

The next morning, at nine o'clock, I was back on the street where I had run into the Vanquisher. Yeah, I know, it's not the best place to return to, especially when that's where I caught him yesterday. But I wanted to know whether he'd be stupid enough to pass here again. If he had something to do here, he would come back anyway. If I caught him today, that'd be great. If not, well... cameras still exist. Yes, I'm suggesting surveillance, so? For the record, it's not like Titanio's method at all. That guy just spies on people. No, my way includes installing cameras at this particular crossroads and not record anything. I'd install a system that only records as long as the Vanquisher is within view of said camera.

I actually was hoping he'd show up today, so I didn't have to fall back on technology. Besides, that stuff is freaking expensive. My only source of income so far is still the money I've stolen during my time as a villain. I'm trying to be careful and not to spend too much. Yeah, I should probably find a proper job. One problem: the only proper job I've ever had was as a seventeen-year-old and that was at a local fast food joint, and that lasted for a month or so. Either way, my money's starting to run out and I can't afford to lose too much of it, so yeah.

I waited. For three long hours, nothing happened. In the meantime, I had listened to the Hamilton soundtrack - playing in the background, of course, because I still needed to pay attention to my environment. I looked up at the sky and spotted the clouds, blocking the blue sky I was hoping to see on this gray day. At least the weather's better - it's not raining like yesterday. I also was slowly getting hungry and bored in the meantime. Not good when you're supposed to pay attention, but oh well.

Then, the exciting stuff happened. The Vanquisher appeared again. My first thoughts went to the cameras I wouldn't need to install anymore. Yay! Then I thought about the Vanquisher and how lucky I was to see him here again. Double yay! I immediately started pursuing him. It didn't take long before he noticed I was following him, though, and he walked quicker. I followed suit and soon, I saw him turn into the exact same alleyway that we were in yesterday. Silly villain! It's almost like he wanted to get caught.

I turned into the alley and found the Vanquisher was still walking away, so I continued to pursue him. When he reached the middle of the alley, he stopped walking and turned around to face me. I couldn't help but stop as well and smile triumphantly. I know, I hadn't done anything at all yet, but I sure hoped he remembered the beating I'd given him yesterday. He raised his hands into the air and then placed them on his head. This caused me to grin.

"What's the matter?" I mocked him, "Are you afraid of the big bad wolf?" I took some steps in his general direction. I went slowly, while he just stood there. I didn't care about mocking him; I mean, with that stance he proved to me he didn't want to fight.

He grinned as well, but in an evil way. "A wolf?" He said, "More like a puppy." I then stopped in my tracks and stared at him in a confusing manner, tilting my head. A puppy? Did he just call me a puppy? I'm not a puppy! I'm probably not much of a wolf either, but hey, a metaphor's a metaphor and I use them when I want to use them. Metaphor aside, I was pretty confused because bad guy said what now? He walked away from me, came back here, gave himself up and then goes telling me that I'm basically harmless. And all of that with the biggest grin I've ever seen on his face. That's creepy. The Vanquisher usually doesn't behave like a happy dude, and he rarely smiles, let alone grins. It freaked me out a bit.

But then, I realized something strange was going on here, this villain's behavior being exhibit A. The first thought that crossed my mind was insanity: I could've hit him too hard yesterday and that could be why he was grinning. Yes, that's what I thought first. My second guess, the one that actually happened, was that this was a trap and that I completely fell for it. It took me a couple of seconds to realize this, at which point I turned around to get out of there.

Except that I couldn't. You see, when the Vanquisher was distracting me with a chase into this abandoned alley, a woman had come and blocked the way. At least, I think it was a woman. I'm not entirely sure because I only got a quick glimpse of her. But even at that moment, I figured she had to be evil. She had to be. Anyway, as I turned around and faced her, she took her chance and placed her hands right above my ears. I didn't even have time to wonder why she'd do that and what effect she tried to achieve. As soon as the hands made contact with my skin, the light went out.

* * *

Before you start to worry, I'm fine. I hadn't passed out. Okay, I had, but not because she hit me in the head. No, she gently placed those hands above my ears and then I fell asleep.

Yes, I know, not exactly what you'd expect, but she did make me sleep. I swear I'm not lying to you. Later, I figured out that's her thing, but back then I was still wondering what she'd done to me. Confusion aside, it was the best I've slept since... well, since Chameleon happened. While I was still waking up, I did believe I was sleeping on an extremely hard mattress. When I figured it couldn't be a mattress, I woke up startled, looking around in fear. You see, when Machine and I were still partners, I often slept on the ground so she could occupy the entire bed. I had a severe case of flashback and I genuinely was afraid I was back with her. As soon as I realized I was all alone, I breathed out in relief.

And then I saw the bars. Yes, those steel bars you usually associate with prison, not the candy bars. My stomach rumbled by the thought of food. Great, I'm still hungry. Anyway, back to the iron bars. They enclosed me on five sides (the four you know and then the one above my head), and I guess the length and width were about four yards? Couldn't be too sure. Anyway, the ground wasn't barred, which I was grateful for. My feet wouldn't be able to stand that.

There also lay some big blue tarp on my cage, covering all sides except for the ground. This raised a lot of questions, which all came down to _what the heck_? What kind of tarp is big enough to cover all of this and still let nothing in? Of course, wherever I was, the place was illuminated and said light was blocked by the tarp. It didn't mean that it was dark in here, but not too light either. It also either didn't let through any noise, or it was silent all around me. It was just enough so I could look around, really. I considered setting it on fire and aimed at it with my hands.

Damn. They took my flamethrowers! Why would they do such a thing? Obviously, so I wouldn't get away too soon, but still. That's all I've got to survive in this cruel world!

Anyway, after that realization was over, I thought about what best to do next. I started looking for the door and, to be honest with you, failed to find it. It frustrated me, but I contained my anger. No, but in all seriousness, it was hard to find. These may be steel bars, but I'm sure the woman and the Vanquisher could be rich enough to pull off some fancy expensive magnet-lock or something like that. Or maybe the only way to get in here was through the upper bars, running above me.

Still, it made me wonder why they would bother to cover it up with a tarp. What were they thinking? Let's blind him, that'll be fun! Let's drive him crazy and wonder where he is! Not one of their best ideas. Unless they are trying to keep me hidden in a public spot, in which case their plan is kind of smart. However, if I wasn't hidden in plain view, I'd be disappointed in them - why else would they use the tarp?

I looked at the tarp, trying to find a tear in it, so I could look outside. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one. So, no figuring out where exactly I'd been taken by these villains. That didn't work out as planned. I thought about the bars above me again and, stupid as I was, I decided it'd be a great idea to go and climb them. Crazy, right? Well, I wanted to know whether that was my only way in or out of this mess. Since I can't exactly reach it from where I stood and that jumping with stretched didn't help either, climbing the bars was the second-best thing I could do.

I failed spectacularly. I don't want to go into too much detail. Let's say it ended with me stumbling at least three times when I was halfway there and one time actually reaching those bars. That one time, however, I was unable to hold on to the bars for long and I fell down, landing on my feet. That hurt. A lot. If someone were out there listening, they would've heard me cuss out loud. That cussing basically came down to _stupid Vanquisher, stupid cage, stupid tarp, stupid Spark_. That, but with more swear words. I guess I just snapped, what with the entire situation that's been going and the irritation I was feeling. It didn't help that my ankle hurt a lot. I thought I'd broken it, but I guess it was only bruised. Either way, it hurt a lot, so that's gotta count.

After that, I didn't do anything stupid anymore in that cage. I sat on the ground, leaning against the bars to one side and talked to myself. It helped me think and, hoping the bad guys weren't nearby, I discussed with myself the various possible ways to escape, with or without bruised ankle and definitely without flamethrowers. Most of the plans were stupid and crap, but this was more or less me trying to talk myself into actually creating a plan that would work. I'm good at on-the-spot improvisations, but that didn't always guarantee that I would get out of this situation undamaged.

I was taken aback when the tarp was moved out of the way. Light not only finally poured into my small cage, but it didn't blind me. The woman held up the tarp at the other side of the cage than I was on and I took a peek outside. I could hear a long beep and the cell door swung open. If I hadn't damaged my ankle, I would've taken a run for it, but I couldn't. Besides, I'd have to leap past the woman who made me sleep for God-knows-how-long. I didn't want to sleep again. The Vanquisher walked in with someone in his arms, whom he dropped on the ground. He immediately walked out, and the long beep announced the cell door closing.

I didn't pay attention to that. I only had eyes for the person that was joining me in my cell. I couldn't help but groan. "Come on!"

You see, it wasn't just any person they dropped into my cell. It was Spark. They'd captured Spark and found it necessary to put her in my cell. Didn't they have another? I couldn't see through the tarp, the villains were blocking my sight. But what if this was their only call and they had to put her here? Either way, I didn't like this situation.

So, to sum it up: some she-villain made me sleep, I lost my flamethrowers, I'm starting to get really hungry, my ankle hurt like hell and now they dropped Spark in with me.


	4. I have a heart-to-heart

**Hey, guys! It's September now... man, time flies by so quickly, doesn't it? I felt just yesterday when summer began, and now it's almost over. Anyway, you're here to read the next chapter, and not to read me rant about the passing of time. So here it is, after my responses to your reviews:**

 _LabRatsWhore:_ _Thanks for reviewing! I know, right? Writing's all about creating conflict, and what better way to do so than to put Kenny and Spark in a small cell? And maybe it already was a hangout spot before you moved into your room? I don't know, maybe it's like that, maybe it's not. And when I find the show online/when my country decides to air the dubbed version, I'll see if I watch it._

 _OddDangerSpiritualCyberLoverGirl17:_ _Thanks for reviewing._

 _ItsMeVader:_ _Thanks for reviewing! But don't worry, I've got it under control._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

Okay. Here's a recap: Some girl villain made me fall asleep. They took away my flamethrowers. I was getting really hungry and my ankle still hurt like hell. On top of that, they ('they' being the Vanquisher and that girl villain) decided it'd be a good idea to throw Spark into this cell as well.

This is gonna be fun.

I got at least one hour of peace and quiet before Spark woke up. I groaned again - here we go. Why, I hear you ask? Well, it's never a good idea to put the two of us in one cage. Whatever might happen, it could always lead to a fight. We might punch each other or throw insults at one another. Something led me to believe it was going to be either one of those or a combination of both.

This also was one of the moments that I hated being trapped the most - this cage is only four on four big, so I'd say not enough for the two of us. You'd need at least two of these to contain Spark's ego alone.

Anyway, Spark woke up. And gone was my peace! I wasn't thrilled about it, but so far she didn't seem to notice me. Hey, she was just waking up and I was nowhere in her field of sight - she lay on the ground with her legs pointing at my side. She stood up, her back turned on me, and then pushed her hands forwards to the bars. Nothing happened. I rose an eyebrow. Wasn't something supposed to happen? She seemed to hesitate and then tried again. And again, nothing happened. It was clear to me: she lost her powers somehow. How unfortunate.

My stomach chose this moment to growl. Spark promptly turned around and then, we stood eye to eye. Well, she was standing, I was still sitting on the ground, but that's not the point. She wasn't pleased to see me here.

"Good morning," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"You!" she said, balling her fists. Not good.

"Me?" I said in confusion, pointing at myself. "I didn't do anything." It was sort of true. I only did something incredibly stupid which let me to be here with her, of all people, but - again - that's not the point.

"You talked to Titanio," she said. I nodded.

"I did do that," I responded. Only after saying that, I noticed she'd used such an accusing tone in her voice. It made me quite suspicious of her. "Wait, why are you upset about that?" She opened her mouth to answer.

"No, wait, don't tell me," I said, "I can figure this one out for myself." I could only think of one reason why she'd be upset: Titanio could've talked to her about me. I'm not sure what exactly they could've told each other, but at least they should've talked about her behavior towards me. But hey, how should I know? I'm not psychic. For all I know, they could've talked trash about me behind my back.

She then looked around the cage, taking in all the details I've already described earlier. "Where are we?" she asked me.

I shrugged in response. "I dunno. Wherever the Vanquisher is?" She turned her head to me again and glared. To be honest, such a glare scared the crap out of me.

"He brought you here, okay?" I said in my defense, "It's the only lead I've got." She should be glad we at least had a lead. Wherever the Vanquisher was, that's where we were. But that information is not as easy to get as you'd think.

"It's better than nothing," Spark said, "At least you're good for something."

"I'm taking that as a compliment," I said, nodding. There was some silence. She didn't make any attempts to talk to me. That's okay. But I did try to talk to her.

"So, how'd you end up in here?" I asked her. She glared in my general direction. I gulped. "Never mind." I averted my eyes and looked at my ankle instead. Somehow, that made the pain feel worse.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I, er..." I hesitated. Should I tell her? Meh, why not? She already thinks I'm an idiot, anyway. "I walked into a trap."

"I'm not surprised," she responded. I took a deep breath, but not because of her comment. That goddamn ankle, man. I reached for it and held it carefully, trying not to make any movements.

"I wasn't thinking straight. How do you expect me not to fall for it?" I took another deep breath. I gotta get out of here. Man up, Gordon, you can do it! And with those inspirational-motivational thoughts, I stood up. It's way more painful than you just imagined it. I pulled myself up with the bars and stood on my good foot, the left one. I leaned against the bars, letting my hurt foot rest. Oh, it hurt when I stood up, but I went back to trying not to move it too much to minimize the pain.

Spark glanced at me and the expressions of agony I had on my face. She definitely noticed my misery, though did not comment on it or tried to help me. That's just typical her. I'm not sure what she was thinking, but I guess she was willing to let me suffer by ignoring the pain I was in.

Also, a quick side note: I'm sorry if I keep bringing up that pain, but it freakin' hurts, man! And knowing it's there makes it worse. Compare it to having a headache: when you have it and keep thinking about it, it gets worse. But when you're distracted and don't think about it, you don't feel it as much. I wish I was distracted right now... But I'm trailing off here.

"We gotta get out of here," I breathed. Spark rolled her eyes.

"No shit." I ignored her.

"We gotta escape, get my flamethrowers back and then find the Vanquisher and beat him up."

"What?" She sounded genuinely surprised to hear this. I can't say I expected her to react like that. Given the situation, I expected her full support. Apparently not. I turned my head to her.

"He put us here, didn't he?" I argued, "We've gotta teach him he shouldn't mess with me." No, I did not mean to say 'us'. I couldn't care less about how much he tossed Spark around, but he shouldn't take his anger out on me.

"Really?" Again, there was that surprise in her voice. This time, it was mixed with some cynism. As in: really, you want to do that? Good luck, pal. At least, that's how I interpreted it. Make of it what you will.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "We're heroes, damn it! We oughta teach him a lesson he'll never forget"

Spark folded her arms and stared at me. At least she wasn't glaring anymore. "Why are you so set on revenge?" she asked. This infuriated me because I already was pretty pissed and revenge was something for villains, not for heroes. And I am not a villain anymore.

"It's not..." I stopped myself. I was about to shout it from the top of my lungs, but it didn't feel right. I sighed. "It's not about revenge. It's about doing the right thing."

"And beating him up is?" she asked. The answer was clearly yes, she just couldn't see that. "I'm with you, but is it the right thing? Or is something else going on?"

How dare she suggest something else is going on? "No!" I said. But of course, there's some bigger motive behind all of this. She didn't need to know any of it. But hey, she's pushing my buttons and sooner rather than later, she'd push the wrong one and I'd explode in anger.

"Are you sure?" she said, "It sounds like it's personal."

"Okay, you know what? Yes, it's personal," I then said. Within these circumstances, it was easy for her to push the wrong buttons. "What I want is to get out of here, away from you, beat the living hell out of the Vanquisher and prove that I can be trusted, right?" Okay, there it is. The big secret's out: I've got trust issues. No, wait, let me rephrase that: people have trust issues with me. I do not like it one bit.

Spark frowned. "What are you-"

"Shut up, I'm talking now," I said in an extremely rude way. It may not have been a good idea to interrupt Spark, but I couldn't care at that moment. After that culmination of bad events and when you're venting, it's always hard to still care about certain things.

"I'm a good guy! Why doesn't anyone get that? When all those heroes turned evil, they were accepted back into the community. Why can't they see I'm just like them, except that I wasn't a hero beforehand? I'm... I'm a good guy doing good things, alright? I'm not part of some big villain conspiracy. And yet my colleagues, those so-called heroes, they still don't trust me. Damn it!"

And that was the end of my venting session. Once I started, I couldn't stop it anymore. I also may or may not have had the readers of the comics in mind. You know, those readers who keep saying on those forums that I'm no good and that it's only a matter of time before I go back to being evil? Yeah, those readers. I want to prove them wrong, too.

I noticed Spark was staring at me. "What are you looking at, huh?"

She shook her head and there was a smile on her face. I didn't understand. Did my story amuse her? Not the reaction I was hoping for.

"You have no idea how relatable this is," she then said. I rose an eyebrow.

"Relatable?" What the hell could be relatable about that? We're polar opposites! Okay, maybe not polar, but still opposites.

"Do you know when I officially became a hero?" she asked. She gave me the time to answer, but I didn't. I stared at her, mostly because I didn't know the answer. "At age twelve," she eventually said.

"So?" I said in response

"So?" she said. "It was the biggest controversy ever. I can't blame them. A child superhero, who would accept this? The Dark Warrior called me a liability, Tecton wanted to protect me rather than have it the other way around and you don't want to know what Titanio had to say about my first year as a hero."

Now, this was interesting to hear. The way she talked about it, especially the Titanio part, made it look like Titanio was against her. Weren't they the best of buddies? If I could lean closer, I would've done that.

"But I thought you and Titanio-"

"There was a time he didn't like to send children to fight the villains," she explained. "I had to constantly fight my way to the top, prove over and over again that I was worthy. Only one year ago, they finally accepted me as one of their own."

I frowned. This was all new information to me. I didn't remember reading about it in the comic books. Probably because those always made it look like Spark had the full support of the hero community. Sometimes Ambrose likes to shed the community in a way more positive light than it is in real life. You'd be surprised how many of those story details are made up.

"And how is that relatable?" I bluntly asked her.

"I'm just saying," Spark said, "You want people to see they can trust you. It's not too different from my situation."

I nodded briefly in consideration. Then, I somehow found the guts to go and say this: "Yeah, except that it's all good when it comes to you! And you were never on the evil side either."

I leaned a bit forward - those bars started to bug me, as my position became too much of a nuisance to bear for my back. I now was standing on that one left foot and holding on to the bars only by one hand, having turned my body so my shoulder could rest against one of the bars. Spark, again, did not say much about my situation. How rude of her.

"Now, do you have any idea on how to get out of here?" I asked her. I hopped on the one leg, trying to get around the cage, going straight to the not-so-visible cell door to inspect it from up close. I almost fell, but I got there. I did stumble and only by grabbing the bars I prevented me from falling.

My wrist hit the bar, but I didn't feel the bar. I felt something inside my pocket. I wondered what it was before it dawned on me. I'm so stupid. It was the Swiss army knife! I carried one in my left sleeve in case of emergencies. The Vanquisher and that villainess didn't search me thoroughly enough, then, and boy, was I glad they didn't.

"Are you avoiding me?" Spark asked. I shook my head as I pulled myself up again. I resisted the urge to tell her to go to hell because the world doesn't always have to revolve around her. But I might need an ally to get out of here, and she's all I got.

"No, I'm trying to get out," I told her, "Are your powers working?"

"Nope," she said. For a second, I frowned, before remembering she had already tried it whether she could use them. My bad. There's just so much going on right now.

"It must be the blanket," she added. I frowned again. This was the moment where she stopped making sense. I was reaching in my sleeve to get the Swiss army knife out, but I stopped in my tracks when she mentioned the blanket.

"A what now?" I said. Was she blind? That thing on our cage is definitely a tarp, not a freaking blanket! Then, I proceeded to call her stupid (in my mind only, of course) because she couldn't tell the difference between a tarp and a blanket.

She must've picked up on my 'ignorance' - she'd define it as ignorance - and folded her arms. "An Aquilian blanket looks like a tarp, but it isn't," she explained, "It's indestructible and dampens the power of whoever it's covering." When she was explaining, I reached into my sleeve and this time, I managed to pull out that army knife. I turned around, so my back would be pointing at Spark.

"What are you doing?" she wondered out loud. I found the knife on the thing and reached out for the tarp or blanket, or whatever it was.

"Seeing whether you're wrong about this," I said. I put the small knife against the tarp and started moving it up and down, trying to cut through it. Eventually, after half a minute, it worked and a small hole was now visible in the tarp. I turned my head to her. "Yeah, you're wrong. It's a tarp."

She rolled her eyes and I turned my attention to the door. I had discovered the small line between the cell door and the rest of the cell. If I could find a weak spot in this thing, I could open this door!

But I didn't have too. There was a long beep and the door swung open. It hit the tarp, but it wasn't too much trouble. I knew it could be moved out of the way. It startled me, but I was glad I wasn't holding onto the door at that moment. I could've fallen again.

"Let's go," Spark said. She marched out of the cage, pushing the tarp aside. "Gordon, are you coming?" she then added.

I was conflicted. Part of me said it was a trap. It had to be. If they didn't want us to get out, they wouldn't have opened the door for us. Hell, I probably could've fiddled with it for an hour and not be making any progress (but I would try nonetheless).

But then again, when would I get an opportunity like this again?

"Coming!" I responded, and I hopped out of the cage. Yes, this is definitely a trap, I thought to myself.


	5. I don't like Spark's attitude

**Hello, everybody! Welcome to the newest chapter, and the halfway point of this story. There'll be ten or nine chapters, depending on how long the last chapter will be. Either way, there are five or four more chapters to go after this one. So, here are my replies to your reviews and then, we can go to the chapter.**

 _OddDangerSpiritualCyberLover17:_ _Thanks for reviewing._

 _LabRatsWhore:_ _Yeah, then I have no idea why it became a hangout spot. I'm going back to university on the 25th and I know I'm going to have new roommates, so maybe I'll end up in the same position as you. Anyway, I hope it's still manageable for you. And yes, the tarp's a tarp. Why complicate it when it can also be simple? Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

Cautiously, I looked around when I first hopped out of the cage. I couldn't find anything that could trap us or places from which villains could appear to beat us up. Which took me to my next thought: why did they let us out? Because let's face it, it's probably them. I couldn't answer my question, but at least the distance between me and Spark could be bigger. Less than four yards wasn't exactly great, even if it didn't take so long.

Then, I looked at the bigger picture, not just close to me. For the record, I was expecting an illuminated empty hangar or something like that. I was right about the hangar part, though not so much about the 'empty' part. There were seven or eight empty cages, about the same size as the one Spark and I were trapped in. There weren't any tarps on those, but there were some lying next to the respective cages. It also was illuminated pretty well. On the ceiling hung some sort of contraptions. They could be described as large, formless hair dryers. That's what a Normo would say (not me, others). I knew what it was: power dampeners. And, if I'm correct, the kind that only works on us Earthlings. (There are many types, but I don't know all of them.)

So, Spark's basically useless. Great.

"What are you two planning?" I muttered under my breath. The cages, the power dampeners, the tarps... it brought up a lot of questions. Who would they need the cages for? Who would they need the power dampeners for? What exactly was the bigger picture here? Like, what would they do with the powerful people once they'd captured them and brought them here?

I didn't get any answers. Yet. To get what I wanted, I'd have to find those sons of bitches that put us here in the first place. Find the Vanquisher and his female accomplice, beat them up, ask the questions, get the answers. Easy as that. At least, I hoped it would be easy as that.

"There," Spark said in a hushed voice, pointing at something. I followed her finger and saw the door she was pointing at. I nodded in response, and together we walked towards it. It didn't go well. We didn't get caught or anything, but Spark walked with a fast pace - as fast as she could go without running - and I still could only hop, hoping my ankle wouldn't hit anything. It still hurt like hell, but I was more focused on getting to the door without falling down

She had to wait by the door for me to catch up on her. I knew she didn't like it. I couldn't blame her - yes, you heard me! If I were in her position, I'd be irritated, too, especially since she has super speed. I was glad she waited, though. I guess she would want to leave me, but couldn't. I could count as a wounded civilian and with that in mind, she couldn't leave me behind. I know, a bit far-fetched, but that's all I've got.

She opened the door - I would do it, but I didn't want to risk falling down - and we walked through it. It didn't lead to the outside, damn it! We ended up in a pretty dark room, with a light in one of the corners. I could vaguely hear people talking, but they stopped as soon as we walked into the room.

The door fell shut behind us and the lights turned on. In the corner where the first light shone, sat a group of people, who all rose from their chairs. All of them were villains. I quickly glanced around in the room. There was nowhere to hide and nothing to throw around, other than five chairs and the one table in the corner. When I turned to the door, Spark was already trying to open it again. She got her superpowers back - there were no dampeners in this room - and even with her spark-thingy, she couldn't open it.

I didn't help her - we'd both agree that I'd only walk into the way. Instead, I focused on the adversaries we were going to face. They had stood up and walked closer to us, until the guy in the middle spread his arms, causing them to stop. To be honest, it was quite the view. What I was looking at could've easily been a panel from a comic in which the hero faces a group of villains. It made my job of identifying the villains in front of me easier since they already told me how things worked in their hierarchy. Thanks for the info, guys.

The first guy, on the far left (from his perspective, the far right) was the Vanquisher. This led me to believe he didn't have such an important role within the group. But he still was here - if they didn't need him, he wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be here. The other guy that wasn't as important as the trio in the middle was the guy on the far right, Micros. What else is there to say about him? I already was glad he didn't shrink, though it was weird to see him stand next to the others. Did you know he was the tallest of the five? That's right, the tallest guy of the group is the one that can shrink to the size of an apple. Anyway, moving on...

The guy in the middle, the presumed leader, did not specifically stand out. He was your everyman, your black-haired gray-eyed dude who could walk past you and you'd be none the wiser about who just passed you. You wouldn't know, you wouldn't care. Between him and the Vanquisher stood the Impaler. He looked the most threatening. Which wasn't difficult to achieve, when you're holding a large and dirty metal bar, with the pointy end facing the ceiling. And when I say dirty, I mean dirty. I bet he never cared to clean it. There was dirt on it and dried blood from his previous victims and... you get the point. And last but not least, our mystery woman stood between Mr. Leader and Micros. This Latina woman (she looks like a Latina to me) didn't seem to care about hiding her identity, as she wasn't wearing a mask. The only other person that didn't conceal his face was the leader.

The leader glanced at the Vanquisher and the Impaler. "Attack," he said. And so they did. Micros and the woman waited with Mr. Leader. The Impaler went straight towards Spark while the Vanquisher came to me. Again. Third time this two days. To be honest, I would've liked a bit of change and fight the Impaler, but that'd be bad. He'd beat me within seconds. At least Spark still stood a chance against the guy. I mean, not that I wouldn't stand a chance. Normally, I could easily take him. But, yeah... hurt ankle and no flamethrowers.

I'm not going to go into details. Here's a summary: I tried to look dangerous, but the Vanquisher noticed my weak point (ankle) and kicked it hard, causing me to fall. That's about as far as my fight went with him, though I still avoided a lot of punches. I wish I could tell you it didn't go like this, but I don't want to be unreliable here. The Vanquisher left my side and, while I was still groaning in pain. In the meantime and helped me sit on my knees. My ankle started to burn (there were no flames, but you know what sensation I'm talking about) and I fought back tears and the urge to yell. That was a sign of weakness and even though I clearly was the weakest person here, I didn't want to show it.

This was not what I was expecting when I got out of that stupid cage, but oh well.

Spark did it better than me. She and the Impaler had fought before, so they knew each other strengths and weaknesses, making it a fair fight. As soon as the Vanquisher left me to fight her, too, she started to lose. I couldn't quite see what was going on there, but soon she was forced on her knees as well, sitting next to me. I turned my head and cringed. She looked horrible. I'd never seen her face covered in blood. She may not feel any pain, but it still looked bad. Unlike me, she was stupid enough to try and get up. The Vanquisher punched her in the face, and she then complied. She didn't stop glaring at the men, though.

The woman moved now. She walked closer to us, only to walk around us and stand behind us, for some reason. I didn't know why, but I guess we would find out if we didn't behave. When our eyes crossed as she was walking, I gave her a charming smile. She returned it with a disgusted look on her face. Well, at least I tried. Mr. Leader walked a few steps closer to us, but not more than those few steps. I didn't like that I had to lift my head to look at his face, but this showed I wasn't afraid of him and that's how it was.

"Welcome," the leader said. "It's a pleasure to have you here. Spark and the Incinerator."

I tried not to flinch when I heard that name. "Flamethrower," I said. The leader turned his head to me.

"Is there a difference?" I didn't speak up now. He didn't deserve an answer - but you, as the reader, do. Yes, there is a difference. The Incinerator was a bad person who'd do anything to disrupt society, with the exception of killing. The Flamethrower is the hero who struggles to be accepted by both comic book readers and heroes alike but still does the right things despite all of this. The Incinerator went up in flames, the Flamethrower rose from the ashes.

"So, you know who we are, but who are you?" I eventually asked. He tilted his head and glared at me. As if it was my problem that I have never heard of him. Well, not my problem.

"You don't know?" He didn't sound mad, which I thought conflicted with the way he was still looking at me. I shook my head.

"Nope," I said, popping the P, "A name would be really helpful." He'd give me his villain name, no doubt. Other than calling him Mr. Leader, I've been giving him names in my head. How about Jake? Dean? Hunter? John? Those were only a few of the suggestions that floated around in my head.

"Call me Draegan," Mr. Leader said.

Draegan. Okay then.

"What if I prefer Cal?" I asked. I tilted my head and stared at him. "You do look like a Cal."

"Shut up," Spark said from next to me. Hey, I can't help it that he looked like a Cal to me. On my first meeting with Spark, I thought her name would be Betty because she looked like a Betty. Here's a tip: don't call her Betty. She doesn't like it.

"You ought to listen to your friend," Draegan/Cal said.

"We're not friends," said Spark and I in perfect unison.

"Clearly," he said. He didn't speak for a while. This caused my mind to wander off. Why did he pick 'Draegan'? Sure, it stands out among the villain names, which usually end in -ator (guilty as charged), but it's just... Why 'Draegan'? Did he want to show his allegiance to Wales? Did he want to be associated with a dragon? I was drinking of a dragon because of that name. Shit, did that mean he was going to turn into a dragon? That'd be bad news, but so awesome, too.

"I'm not here to fight you," Draegan said, addressing the both of us. For the first time, he seemed sympathetic and nice and it didn't even feel forced. The harsh look in his eyes had disappeared completely. "I want to make a deal."

"No," I immediately said. He rose an eyebrow.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"Doesn't matter," I shrugged, "I don't do business with villains."

He gave me a look that could be interpreted as 'said the ex-villain', but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he said this: "Just give it a chance. You'll be surprised about the answer."

"I think I'll pass," I said. He then stepped closer to me. Micros' grip on me tightened. I almost forgot there were four other villains here. If I didn't know better, I'd say these four were henchmen in the bigger scheme of things and weren't as important as Draegan. He knelt in front of me and smiled. It disgusted me because what villain looks at his victim-to-be like that?

"Let's make that deal." Draegan reached out for me. If I could back away, I would. Instead, I had to sit helplessly as Mr. Leader placed his hand on the shoulder Micros wasn't holding.

The room around me disappeared, as well as Draegan, though I could still feel his hand. The sounds around me were dampened and I felt... calm. Serene. Tranquil. I was aware of the dangers around me, but I didn't care. I was certain nothing was going to happen to me. I also couldn't feel whether my eyes were opened or not, but that didn't matter, as there was only black.

I ended up in another room, which slowly appeared in front of me. I looked around and recognized the environment. The kitchen. My family's kitchen. I smiled - I hadn't seen home in such a long time, I'd almost forgotten what it looked like. Then, my family appeared in the room. My younger siblings ran around in the kitchen, while mom and dad tried their best to feed the babies and keep the situation under control. Two of my younger brothers were fighting over an action figure while a sister was watching TV. Same old, same old - just a regular morning on a school day.

" _Such a big family..._ " I heard a voice. I knew that voice. It was Draegan's. It sounded soothing, compelling to listen to, enthralling. And so I listened. Younger Me, who couldn't be older than fifteen, also entered the room and tugged his father's shirt. I remembered this moment. The night before, I studied for a big math test (I'm a hopeless case when it comes to math) and broke down in the middle of studying. Multiple times. I tried to get my father's attention, to ask him advice and whether I could stay at home. But he shoved me aside, so he could feed my baby sister, who already had enough.

" _Such an overlooked kid, weren't you? No wonder you took the chance to stand in the spotlight._ " I couldn't agree more with this statement. The scene changed, the people changed. Only Younger Me stayed, even though he grew a bit. Younger Me had to be eighteen years old now, filled with problems, having just run away from home - my parents wouldn't notice I was gone. I was the spectator, watching how Younger Me shook the hand of a girl in a dark alley, grinning widely in the process. I recognized the girl - Machine. She looked so young, so... brunette. She must've died her hair blonde afterward. She's a blonde in most of my memories with her.

I knew what day this was. That was the day that I left my old, miserable life behind. It was the day I became a villain.

" _No wonder you're still trying._ " The people in the alley disappeared, but the alley itself only changed in minor ways. Younger Me and Spark were fighting, while Nox - Lady Midnight for the friends - fled in the distance. That night, I was posing as a villain so I could catch her, but Spark showed up and thought I really was evil and tried to beat the shit out of me. I couldn't say that Draegan was wrong - it'd almost feel like a crime to accuse him of such falsehoods. Wow, that guy really understood me. If I could stay in the spotlight, people would see what a great guy I was, people would say I'm not just a villain. Why couldn't they see I was trying to get rid of my dark side?

" _Such determination... I haven't seen that in a long time."_ From Nox's alley meeting, the scene changed into my meeting with Titanio in his study. One-Day-Younger Me was arguing with the hero. It seemed to be more intense than I originally remembered. I balled my fist. " _You're only trying to do your job. But they don't let you, right?_ " Yes, Draegan. You're correct. They never did let me do whatever I wanted. They complained because of my past, they wanted me to follow their rules, they wanted me to comply. They wanted me to be like them. If I were, I wouldn't be doing my job in the most effective way.

" _They don't want to see the results of your work. They don't listen, they never do._ " He had a point. Titanio always picked Spark's side. In fact, he would always pick someone else over me. No matter the person, I have the disadvantage of a reformed villain and so I am not their equal.

" _Look at Titanio._ " I turned my head him. One-Day-Younger-Me and him were still fighting. The hero tried to be stoic, but I could... I saw through his facade. I could read his mind now. He was fed up with me and would rather punch me than listening. I frowned. Was that really what he was thinking? " _He thinks he's doing the right thing, recruiting kids. But is he? Does he think they can save the world? Whatever the case, they deserve a happy, oblivious childhood. They deserve to be normal kids._ "

The room disappeared around me. In the darkness, children stood beside and around me. I could clearly see them as if a spotlight shone from under them. I recognized them all. They were all children with powers that Titanio found. Right in front of me stood Jackson Karaty, the new kid who could look into the future. Was it me, or did he look more attractive now? Or was I just being confused? I had to be confused, thinking that he looked attractive. They all look miserable, watched me with pleading eyes. I could almost hear them: help me, please. And I wanted to help. I couldn't move, I didn't know how I could help them, but I knew that I would do anything to help them.

" _Join me._ " Draegan's voice came out of Jackson's mouth. My heart broke. " _Help me save them from Titanio. Give them the chance you never got._ " In the background, while all the children but Jackson disappeared, they showed the handshake on my first night of villainy again. I got dragged into this world. They shouldn't be. I have to help them, I have to save them.

The firm grip on my shoulder disappeared. So did the memories. It all faded to black before I ended up at another place. I blinked a few times, trying to understand what had happened to me. I was in a state of confusion, had to look around. Then it came back. The cage, the hangar, the five villains. Draegan.

Draegan. I looked up at him. He was still smiling at me. It didn't look so disgusting anymore, knowing now what I didn't know before. He was trying to help those kids... Couldn't he just tell us when he saw us?

"So?" Draegan said. His voice wasn't as soothing and compelling anymore, but it was still his voice. "What do you say?"

I wanted to say yes. I really did. I almost couldn't stop myself.

Almost.

After I woke up from that trance, I felt like something wasn't right. Why did I agree with him now while I disagreed with him before? Why did I like him all of a sudden? Why wasn't I still trying to construct a plan to get the hell out of here? I was so sure I was going to join him, to be evil again, while I had been working so hard over the last couple of months to construct a positive image of myself. This couldn't possibly be right.

"No," I said. I was almost sorry to decline this once-in-a-lifetime offer, but it was the best thing to do. It was the right thing to do, the only thing I could do in this situation.

Draegan's sympathetic smile disappeared. His nostrils flared and he glared at me. He hadn't expected this answer.

"What?"

"I-I'm not doing that," I said. "Like I said, I don't do business with villains."

It looked like he could shout, like he could just punch me or kick me in the you-know-what really hard. Instead, he stayed calm. Which, I guess, was kind of impressive.

Draegan turned his head to Spark. I couldn't help but grin. He was going to try to convince Spark to join his course. Yeah, right. Try all you want - when she says no, it's a definite no. The look on her face suggested she was going to say no and once she's made a decision, she'll stick with that answer, no matter what. He'd have to find something else to do with us.

Mr. Leader knelt in front of her, giving her the same nice smile. She glared at him. Man, if looks could kill, Draegan would drop dead. She struggled to free herself, but the Impaler held her down. Draegan placed a hand on her shoulder.

Nothing happened. There was about five seconds of nothingness until Draegan pulled back his hand and Spark seemed to come out of the same trance he'd put me in. It seriously took only a few seconds? It felt like ages in there. I honestly thought he'd been holding my shoulder for at least ten minutes while he showed me all those things. It did make me wonder, what did Spark see?

"So, have we got a deal?" Draegan asked. I couldn't suppress a smile. There it goes, the grace of denying a villain what he wanted, followed by the fury of the villain caused by our stubbornness and the glee on our faces because we managed to thwart him.

"Yes, Spark said, nodding.

Okay. That was unexpected.

I turned my head to her. She was just as enthralled as I was moments ago. A lot was going on inside my head, including the following: _what the hell? Why, how, did you just...? Spark, no. Just no. Spark. Spark! You just didn't... No!_ I stared at them with widened eyes - must be the shock - while Draegan smiled in glee, glancing briefly at me. He must be enjoying himself now.

"Alright, let her go," Draegan said. The Impaler let go of her and she rose to her feet. This was a mistake. It had to be. Of all people, I always thought Spark was one of the few that could resist... whatever it was that Draegan did to us. Then again, she didn't have any abilities that could help her withstand this... How should I call it, alluring voice? Maybe? I don't know, I'm not good at naming things, okay, don't blame me!

"Him, too." I looked up, confused. Micros didn't immediately let go of me. He did pull me up and put me on my feet. I cringed when I had to put weight on the hurt ankle and almost fell, but I could keep my balance. Damn that ankle! Was that the reason he let me stand? Because I'm a weak and hurt Normo who probably wouldn't be able to escape himself?

The woman was looking at me. I was still grumpy, but I managed to say "What are you looking at?" in a hostile manner. She took a deep breath and lifted her fist.

"Sandwoman." She stopped in her tracks and the both of us looked at Draegan (he'd said that). Mr. Leader shook his head. "Not now." She finally lowered the hand and I breathed in relief. I didn't even realize I'd been holding my breath.

Also, Sandwoman? So she was the one who knocked me out in the alley by touching my head! That is, if she did have the powers of putting people to sleep like her namesake, the sandman. Draegan turned his head to Spark.

"Kill him," he said, "We can't use him."

"What?" I could've said more, but Spark was already marching towards me. _Shit._ If I wasn't too busy, I would've shat my pants. Which I didn't do! Anyway, I couldn't really get away, even though the villains stepped aside so Spark could do what she was told to do. I never thought of Spark as the obeying type, but oh well. I tried to hop backward so I wouldn't have to take my eyes off of her (for defensive reasons), but after one jump it already proved very difficult. In short, I couldn't fight nor could I get away. Time for plan C, then.

"Hey, Spark, listen!" I quickly said, pointing my hand palms to her with stretched arms as a way to tell her to stop. "You don't wanna do this, you hear me? You don't want to hurt me." She didn't respond. However, she did smirk after I spoke. I'm sure my face paled at this point.

She was close enough to punch me in the stomach (that hurt) and tried to hit me in my head. I stopped the punch with my arm. There was a loud crack and I screamed out in pain. She broke my arm. Before I could think about the situation, she sent her sparks toward me, which sent me flying backward. I landed on my back and groaned in pain. I couldn't stand it anymore. I could cry, and I almost broke out in tears. _Not now, Gordon. You can cry when you survive this._

"Are you even holding back?" I asked her. I panted afterward - why was talking so hard now?

"Don't need to." Hallelujah, she talked back! I could still talk to her and get through to her. Hopefully.

"Spark..." I said. Why the hell was it so hard to talk now? Probably because I was hurting so much and kind of exhausted at the same time. "Don't... Please..." This may look like I was begging, but I wasn't. I definitely wasn't begging. I just... you know, tried to persuade her to stop beating me. It didn't work. She had come closer and went on her knees. She punched my face once. Crack! That was definitely my nose.

"Think about midnight," Spark told me as she rose again. She stepped on my ankle and again, I screamed in pain. My surroundings were starting to become blurry and I could barely hear what she was saying. _No, Gordon, no,_ I thought. Or my mind told me. One of those two. _You are not passing out._ I'm sorry to disappoint, but that was what was going on.

"Wha..." I managed to say once I became aware of what she was trying to tell me. Midnight? What midnight?

"Midnight, you idiot," she said, "Use your brain." I tried, but it's kind of hard to think when you're under attack and almost passing out. During one moment of clarity, I put the pieces together. Midnight. Lady Midnight. Nox. So that's what she was referring to. To the beating she gave me that day. She interfered, Nox got away. There I go, I thought. Spark interfered, kicking my butt in the process, and the villain group of five, now six, could get away.

Spark didn't hurt me anymore. I guess she was enjoying seeing me suffer just as much as she enjoyed kicking my ass. I closed my eyes, hoped she would go or away or make it quick.

There was an explosion. It came from the other side of the room. When I opened my eyes, I noticed Spark had turned her head away from me and ran off. Curious as I was, I turned my head with one last effort to see what was going on. I couldn't quite see what was going on, but someone - more than one someones - came in through the hole in the wall, made by the explosion. Draegan's friends fought them off, while Draegan himself ran to the only escape route: the door Spark and I used to get in here. At least, I think it was Draegan. Anyway, one of the bad guys got away while the others fought.

That was that. I couldn't quite understand what exactly was going on. Around that moment in time, I passed out and prayed that I'd wake up sometime.


	6. I hate hospitals

**Hey, guys! Here I am again with the next chapter. I know Kenny received quite the beating last chapter, but he's back in action before you know it. Anyway, here's my response to the review and then there's the next chapter:**

 _OddDangerSpiritualCyberLover17:_ _Here is the next chapter. Draegan's an OC, just like Sandwoman._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

I woke up in a hospital I wasn't familiar with. There's nothing more that could be said about it. I mean, I'm starting to get really tired describing me waking up in a random hospital room and everything that comes with it. So if you don't mind, I'm going to skip the detailed description and stick with this short one. I tried to move, but my... everything, basically, was stiff and it hurt, despite the medication this hospital was giving me. I couldn't help but wonder how long I've been here. My ankle was fine and my arm wasn't in a cast, but it didn't feel broken anymore. There'd be no way I recovered from this after a couple of days. Though on the other end, did it mean I'd been in a coma for some months? Oh, let's hope not, I probably couldn't handle that.

There was nothing much to do. Nobody came to me, so all I could do was look around and wait. I wanted to walk around, but I didn't do it. My legs were too stiff and it hurt a bit to move 'em. I thought about a lot of things. Too much to mention here. I noticed everything in the room, and I counted the tiles on the floor and the ceiling twice. The only thing that could be considered interesting during this boring period. For some reason, the radio decided to torment me even more by playing a song from Bastille: 'Things we lost in the fire'. I don't hate the band, it's a good one, but that song... I swear, if I could've reached something heavy, I would've thrown it at the radio.

At long last, there was a knock on the door. I immediately turned my attention to it - finally, some distraction! - and watched how it swung open. Jackson Karaty walked in, and I felt a pang of disappointment. He looked a lot less attractive in real life. I really had no idea why Draegan thought it would be a good idea to make him more handsome. As if I was going to comply because a pretty man asked me to. Please! I'm weak, but not that weak.

"Hey, Jackson," I said. Or at least, tried to say. All that came out was some croak that had the same vowel sounds. Only then, I realized my throat was extremely dry. I hadn't tried to speak before and it hadn't bothered me as much as now. Not fun.

Jackson took a bottle of water out of his backpack and handed it to me. "Here." I took it and drank from it immediately. I gulped half of it down in one go, but I left the rest to drink more slowly.

Jackson sat down in one of the chairs in my hospital bedroom. "Call me Jax. Everybody does."

"Thank you," I said. My throat was still a bit dry, but at least you could now understand what I was saying. It was an improvement, no matter how small it was.

"So, what brings me here?" I needed to know. Why this hospital? Mighty Med wasn't an option anymore, so what did they tell the people around here? Then again, why would Jax know why I was here? And why was he visiting me anyway? We've met, like, once and I bumped into a door immediately after, so not a good start.

"A doctor from MM worked here part-time. This is where everyone from our community goes?" I nodded Okay. Okay, that made sense. But this also raised some serious questions, like: when was anyone going to tell me about this pseudo-Mighty Med? Nobody mentioned it to me once. Again, an explanation would be that nobody trusts me with this kind of information.

"And what brings you here?" I asked him. I could already guess what the answer would be. Titanio sent you, didn't he? The hero had taken a step back from video surveillance, which was great. He's stopped doing that after the shape-shifters destroyed the Mighty Med. The villains gained some privacy because of this, which is good. I mean, everyone should have some privacy, right? You can't believe how precious it is to villains. I actually rooted for them when I learned Titanio stopped it.

Wait. If Titanio did send Jax to check up on me, did that mean he considered me a villain or a hero? I mean, he wouldn't just send a kid to spy on way more experienced (and often older) villains. Then again, him sending a kid to watch over me could mean he did not trust me.

Jax shrugged. "No reason," he said. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, right. Titanio probably sent him. What did he care about my health?

"I'm fine," I said, "For what it's worth, I'm fine." As a response, Jax rose an eyebrow. He seemed skeptical about it, as if he doubted my words.

"I've had worse," I added. If he was going to ask me why I've had worse, I wouldn't answer. If you want an answer... you've been around since story one, I guess you know what I'm talking about. If not, well... there's just some things you can't shake. I lost things in the fire.

"Really?" He said with a skeptical tone. I found myself sighing in relief because he didn't ask any further.

I nodded. "Say, do you by any chance know how long I've been here?" Yeah, I hadn't figured out how long exactly I had been in this bed. I just needed to know.

"About a week." A week. I'd been here for a week. If I didn't know a former MM doctor that survived was treating me, I wouldn't have believed him.

"Do you know what happened?" I then asked. Of course I remembered everything that had happened until Spark attacked me (for obvious reasons), but my memories of what happened next were a bit blurry.

"A villain kidnapped you," Jax responded, "Spark, too. You were at a hangar outside of Philadelphia with Draegan and his gang. You looked horrible, but they saved you."

I frowned. "They?" Now, I don't like the pronoun game. Who the heck were 'they'? Heroes, probably, but I didn't know who exactly - or how they even knew where and when to strike to save me and Spark.

"Titanio, Captain Atomic, and Spark," Jax said.

No. That couldn't be right.

"Not Spark," I said, shaking my head, "I can't believe that. She's the one that kicked my ass!"

"I know," Jax said, "I saw it happen."

"You were there?" I said, surprised. You have to understand, my brain wasn't exactly back on track at that point. Which meant I had forgotten why Jackson Karaty was working with Titanio in the first place.

He tapped his temple. "Premonition, remember?" He said, "I saw you get your ass handed to you, so I warned Titanio so he and Captain Atomic could come to your rescue." Oh. That made sense. So that's how they knew I needed their help. Still, he watched Spark beat me up. Remember that talk about privacy? Yeah, I felt so violated knowing he saw that, even though Draegan and company also saw that. I guess what made me feel violated was the fact that he could see me anytime he wanted.

"Thanks, but you really shouldn't spy on people."

Jax frowned. "You know, I can't exactly turn it off."

"My bad," I quickly said. Well, how was I supposed to know? I didn't know how premonition worked.

"Anyway, Spark didn't save me, okay?" I added when I noticed we were trailing off from what we were previously talking about. "She's the one that put me here! Why do you think she helped save me?" From what did she save me, then? Humiliation, villainy, something else? Tell me, Mr. Karaty, why do you believe this?

"She's playing double-agent, you stupid," Jax said. I would've called him out on calling me stupid - I'd probably agree to some extent with him - but the first part was more important than that small insult.

I blinked a couple of times. "What?"

"Draegan got away," he explained, "Sandwoman, too. The others were taken care of and Spark told Titanio about her plan."

"Let me guess: you saw that." I probably shouldn't have said it in such an accusing way. But I couldn't get myself behind the idea of Spark being a double agent, I was quite confused with it and couldn't accept it. It probably made me sort of lash out like that. Also, he saw me get beaten up. I respect all people with powers, but... you know, that gift was helpful at times, but I didn't really like it.

"No, I was there. I had to show them where you were."

"Oh." I didn't believe him. How could I? How was I supposed to know he was telling the truth while I was unconscious at the time? How could I know for sure he was even there and not just saying that?

Yes, I was paranoia. Deal with it, it gets worse.

"She's no threat," Jax continued, "She's spying on them. She'll contact us once she knows more about their plans. So far, she doesn't have any luck."

"And you believe her?" I said. He nodded. I huffed. "Yeah, don't count on it. She's evil, alright."

Jax folded his arms. "How are you so sure?"

Here it goes. "Because Draegan did this thing to make her evil. He tried it on me first. He put us in some sort of trance and showed us things. Dude, when I saw that, I wanted to join him right away. I barely managed to say 'no'! Whatever he showed Spark, it was almost impossible to refuse his offer."

Again, Jax rose an eyebrow. He didn't agree with me. Or he was a bit confused or frustrated. Either way, I didn't like that attitude.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Are you sure you're not just saying this because you don't like her?"

Was our animosity that obvious? Probably, yes, otherwise Jax wouldn't have known about it. Okay, yes, I confess, I don't like her (shocker!) but I swear that wasn't the reason why I said that. Not the full reason, anyway, only a small percentage. The biggest reason was that I saw what I saw and because I felt her kick my ass. If she weren't evil, I'm pretty sure she would have dialed down a bit because, however much we hate each other, we're still colleagues.

"No, I'm saying it because it's the truth."

"Yes," Jax said, "Your truth. But that's not what's going on."

This infuriated me. I was there. I saw her. I know what she had been subjected to. I know what I have seen. And now this kid arrives, who just so happens to have the ability to look into the future and is probably working with Titanio. And this kid tried to tell me that what I'd seen was false, that I couldn't believe my own eyes. Why exactly? Because the other person was Spark. Oh, I knew what was going on here. It was the same thing that's been going on since I decided to become a better person.

"Unbelievable," I said, shaking my head. It was always going to be the same, wasn't it? "You're picking her side over mine. Again!" The 'again' was more a jab at Titanio than anyone else, but it felt justified because I firmly believed Jax was working with him. The teenager frowned.

"But I haven't..."

"Out!" I said pointing at the door.

"Dude-"

"Now!" I shouted. Jax sighed and didn't make any further attempts at conversation. He stood up from his chair and left. I only lowered my arm when Jax was completely out of sight. Frustrated, I opened the bottle of water I'd been saving for 'later' - well, this was later. By the time I was done, the bottle was empty. My throat was still a bit dry, my thirst was quenched, my emotions back under control. I still was pissed as hell, but I kept it under control again.

The world was really starting to get on my nerves. Kenny Gordon versus the world, not fun or great at all. It felt like everyone I knew (well, not everyone, but you get the idea) was against me. What is it with this world and its prejudice against villains-turned-heroes? I swear, the next person that would've entered the room, no matter who it was, I would've yelled at them to leave me alone.

I glanced at the small table next to my bed. I pulled open the drawer, which I hadn't done before because I believed it would be empty anyway. But I needed some distraction, so here I was, opening it.

A phone lay in it. I frowned - it wasn't mine because I left mine at home before I walked into the trap. It was definitely not Jax's because he didn't even come near this thing. I thought about ignoring it. The things on a phone were private, after all.

Curiosity took the better of me. Also, nobody just leaves a phone behind these days. I opened the phone. There was no sort of security code on it, making it all the easier for me.

There was one new message. I couldn't see who it was from. I opened the message and my eyes widened in surprise. The message was meant for me.

How did I know the message was for me? For starters, it said 'Nox'. Then followed a series of numbers. They were coordinates, I realized, leading... well, somewhere, I didn't know exactly where.

My main question was: Why? She had to be reaching out to me. Nobody else could have sent me this because nobody else knows about it (it never made the comic books). Well, Titanio knew, but he would not be so cryptic about it.

So, yes, Spark sent it. She wanted to meet me there. Must've snuck in and placed the phone in the drawer for me to find.

Don't, Gordon, my mind told me. It's a trap. But I didn't even care about it anymore. I needed to confront her. I got out of bed and walked over to the closet. My legs were stiff, but I managed. Some clothes lay in it, which I was thankful for. If I were going to leave the hospital, I'd have to be wearing something different than this ugly hospital-thing they always put their patients in. Quickly, I put them on, grabbed the phone and walked out of the room.

 _Here I come, Spark._


	7. I am so stupid

**Hello, everyone. Here's the next chapter. We're coming closer to the end of this story. After this one, there'll be two more and then it's done. But let's not think of that right now; let's read this chapter as it is, after my reply to the review:**

 _OddDangerSpiritualCyberLover17:_ _Here's the next chapter. He doesn't particularly have anything against hospitals, but after what happened in the Mighty Med, he's a bit wary of the Normo hospitals where he has to go to for his injuries. They could always figure out something's up with him._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

The sun was setting when I arrived at the place I had been looking for. It took me six hours to find out where I was supposed to go (don't ask me why it took me that long; I'm stupid like that, okay?), but I did it. I reached the spot where I would meet Spark.

It was just outside of Philadelphia, by the way, a bit to the west. It's not like I had to travel halfway across the world to find her. It would be awesome, but that's not the case. Though this did make me wonder when and why Philadelphia became such a hotspot for villains and heroes. I mean, Philadelphia, of all places? Couldn't it have been New York? Los Angeles? Miami? Any of those would be a better choice than plain old Philadelphia. I could be fighting crime in a sunnier place if they hadn't decided on the city of brotherly love.

But I'm still a bit to the west of Philadelphia, unfortunately. The coordinates led me to a bland, everyday warehouse. What else is there to say about it? It could well be the one where Draegan locked me up, but how could I know? I've seen many warehouses and hangars like this one and somehow, they all manage to look alike. So, yeah, random warehouse. But still, the one where Spark wanted to meet me. I actually was glad she reached out to me. I wouldn't have been able to find her otherwise, and I wanted to get my revenge. Yes, I'm a good guy, but even good guys experience bad emotions, so to speak. Revenge is one of them, and it was the one I focused on. Revenge for my arm, revenge for the state she put me in. And oh, Spark was gonna get it once I found her.

But enough about my motives. There were trees around the terrain and a park near the warehouse. This made it easier for me to sneak closer without being detected. I slowly walked closer, trying not to make any sound and not to be seen.

I saw her before she saw me. I didn't move, I just stared. She waited in front of the warehouse, some ten to twenty yards away from its main entrance. She was waiting for me, no doubt. I breathed deeply; time to confront her about her actions. Time to take her by surprise.

You didn't think I'd go straight for her, did you? Yes, I wanted revenge, but I didn't need to have it right now. I know, sounds contradicting with what I said before. I was going to get it. If I managed to snap her out of it, I'd play her guilt by telling her all the things I felt (of course a bit dramatized, for the occasion). Hopefully, it would make her feel guilty about everything she did to me. That's how I'd want my revenge. I certainly wasn't going to try and attack an evil Spark right now, that'd be stupid. She wasn't holding back before, and I believed she wanted to finish the job of killing me.

So, I was careful. I did not underestimate Spark, and I did not underestimate Draegan. I looked around for security cameras, for any sign of life around me. Because let's face it, it could always be a trap. All Spark had to do was to give a sign, alerting her boss and before I knew it, they'd be standing there, surrounding me. I'd be powerless.

I ducked behind a bush when Spark turned her head in my direction. My heart started to beat faster, my breath became irregular. Panic rose within me. She didn't see you, I told myself. I'm still undetected. I'm a friggin ninja, she can't have seen you.

"Is anybody there?" Spark called out. Shit, she saw me! I almost cursed under my breath but remembered she had super hearing and stopped myself before I could.

 _No, calm down, Gordon._ I managed to convince myself she saw something, but that it didn't necessarily have to be me. Could have been anything. Through the branches of the bush, I could take a good look at the hero-turned-villain. She was still looking in this direction, looking for whatever she thought she saw. A shiver ran down my spine. Not because she was close to finding me. No, it was only a chilly night and a bit cold. I should've dressed more warmly. But hey, what a coincidence, am I right?

Spark folded her arms and tilted her head a little. I was starting to freak out. So, naturally, I started to try and convince myself all was okay. In the meantime, I also tried not to move too much, because she could hear me. As long as I didn't do anything too loudly, this may still work out. I could still do it.

"Gordon, I know it's you."

Okay. Shit. Not good, definitely not good. I remained silent, tried not to react too loudly. I was still hidden, though, and that was a plus. It could still work out. I could sneak up on her. Walking straight towards her was not an option, not with evil Spark up there who might want to finish the job. But she didn't see me. I was still hidden.

"I can see you."

Okay, maybe not. I should have picked a better hiding spot. I should not have stopped walking so I could have that better hiding spot. But hey, I should've known better, too. If I could see her that clearly, she could see me, too.

I stood up. What's the use of hiding when the hiding place was discovered? I walked towards her, taking my time to look around again, to look for hiding villains and taping cameras. But I did not focus on those for long and turned my attention to Spark.

I stopped in my tracks and frowned. She was smiling at me. Smiling. As if she was glad to see me. That'd be a first. When I stopped walking, she came closer to me. Fortunately, she stopped when we were about five yards apart.

"I'm glad you showed," she said. I raised an eyebrow. I'm sure you are, Spark. "You're here for the message, right?" What kind of stupid question was that? I mean, I wouldn't even be here if she hadn't sent me that stupid message. Although, that stupid message did make it possible for me to find Spark as soon as possible.

"The one on the phone? Classic," I said. "But couldn't you just stick a note to my forehead?" I didn't ask where she got the phone. I wanted to know, but let it be because there were more serious matters that needed explaining. Like the whole deal with the message and our meeting here. She could've left a sticky note. It would've been at the same level of conspicuousness as the message on the seemingly unused phone in the drawer of a small hospital table next to the bed. How did she know that would work, anyway?

"This needed to happen discretely," she said.

My eyes widened. "Discretely?" Messages on all modern devices could be traced back to the one who sent it, even when it seems impossible. Again, you wouldn't have that trouble with a sticky note.

She nodded. "It'd look suspicious if I talked to Titanio or anyone else. I figured the only person I wouldn't contact, was you." Oh, in that sense of the word 'discrete'. But still, there were dozens of other people she could have contacted about this to play messenger. It's totally obvious she wanted me to play messenger, why else would she mention the tin can?

But still... none of this made sense. Spark wasn't making sense. My brain couldn't make sense of any of this. I didn't know what she was talking about or what exactly was going on. She was evil, yet contacted me. She was working with Draegan, but there we were, having a secret conversation. I was so sure it was a trap, but shouldn't they have activated it by now? Where was my explanation? Needless to say, I was confused as hell.

"I'm flattered," I said, raising my voice, "but what the hell are you-"

"If you continue to talk like that, I will punch you." This response shut me up. I wasn't screaming per se, it was just loud talking. I would never describe it as screaming, but that was the least of my worries. I mean, she did threaten to punch me. I could not let that slide.

"That's unfair," I immediately said, speaking with my normal voice - wouldn't want to anger the evil girl -, "I can't defend myself! Your boss took my flamethrowers." To be honest, I felt naked confronting villains without them. They've become such an integral part of me, and Draegan took them when he ordered Sandwoman and the Vanquisher to capture me. I wouldn't know what to do without them.

"He's not my boss, Gordon!" She raised her voice to tell me this. Talk about a double standard, right? Either way, I blinked a couple of times in confusion. Spark said, what now?

"He's not?" Spark rolled her eyes in response and placed her hand against her head. These gestures told me she was telling the truth, leaving me more confused than I was before.

"You're dumber than a bag of hammers. No, of course he isn't!" I was going to tell her she needed to use a softer voice, but she wouldn't let me speak up. "But I had to do something to figure out what they were planning to do here."

"You were spying?"I asked, finally realizing what had happened.

"Of course I was." Good Lord, I really was dumb, believing she had turned evil. My eyes widened and I stared at her in shock. How the heck had I missed those clues?

"But I thought Draegan brainwashed you," I said. If others were there at the moment of brainwashing, they would have thought the same. As far as pretending to be evil goes, she did seem to enjoy beating me up the other week. I guess she was glad she was able to do this.

"You're unbelievable," she said. "You really thought I'd fall for that? You'd need to try a lot harder for me to become evil." This is probably a good moment for me to say that I underestimated Spark's brain and the willpower that went into overcoming the visions she's been shown. "Why else would I bring up Nox?"

Again, another piece fell into place. Again, I had to disappoint her with my response.

"I thought you were talking about the part where you beat me up." Spark groaned in annoyance. I could understand her. It never even crossed my mind that she was talking about my double-crossing and that she used the example of Nox to tell me she was doing the same with Draegan. Stupid, stupid Kenny! For once, I agreed with her calling me stupid.

"Really, Gordon..." she shook her head.

"Now, you wanted to talk to me about something," I said. We still were here for a reason, and it wasn't to just chat. "What did you find out?"

Spark did not hesitate. "Draegan wants to recruit those kids for this cause."

"He does?" My mind wandered off, showed me different scenarios that could always happen if Draegan succeeded in this. None of them were good.

Spark nodded. "Yes," she said, "He told me everything about it. He's going to persuade them to help him, the same way he tried to persuade us. Those kids don't know how to fend off his attacks."

"They'll fall for it. They'll follow him," I said, realization dawning on me. "There'd be more villains and even fewer heroes to stop them." In other words, a real long-term problem that can easily be avoided.

"Bring this message to Titanio," she said, "and only him. I don't know if Draegan already persuaded someone."

"Bring this message to Titanio," she said, "and only him. I don't know if Draegan already persuaded someone." If he already found and persuaded someone, that would be a serious problem. They could secretly complain about Titanio and his methods, pretty much the same way I always have. They could convince their friends to go and leave the house, to be out there weak and vulnerable. Just the way Draegan would want it. He would give them visions. They don't know any better, will be blinded by whatever they see the way I almost was. Yes, I know I said that I was against Titanio fostering these super-powered kids to train them, but that's always better than watching them turn into villains.

My mind wandered off Jax Karaty and wondered whether he was working for Titanio or Draegan. What I thought about that was, and I paraphrase: why the hell would I care about the new kid in Titanio's home? I didn't know the answer, unfortunately. Well, maybe I'd get it another time.

I knew what I had to do. Titanio needed to know this.

To think I came to confront Spark about what she's done. This again proves you can never know what might happen to you, no matter how well you think you have it under control.

"You're staying, right?" I asked. She nodded - she couldn't exactly walk away from the situation, now, could she?

"You go and tell Titanio. Time to be a hero, Gordon."

"I don't need your help to be a hero, Spark, but thanks for the offer." Spark glared at me. I probably shouldn't have said this, but the phrase struck a nerve with me. I sighed.

"Don't worry, Titanio will get his message," I said, comforting Spark at least a bit. "But first I'm getting my weapon back."

"No, you have to go now!" Spark said. If I did anything to anger her that evening, it'd be this.

"Not without my flamethrowers." As I said, they're a part of me. My relationship with my flamethrowers could be compared to someone who can't leave their pets for long periods of time. I wanted to get them back and I was going to get them back, damn it!

I walked towards the warehouse. Spark groaned, but she followed me anyway. So nice of her.

We walked into the dark warehouse, and it was clear that this wasn't the one where I hurt my ankle. Spark walked in before me, and she nodded to the right.

"In that closet," she said. I looked at the wall and saw a door. I went up to it and opened it as silently as I could. The noise echoed through the empty hall and we stopped for a moment. Slowly, I opened it to its fullest.

There is was. My flamethrowers and jacket. A smile appeared on my face. Finally got them back. It lasted a week and even though I was only awake for half a day during that period, it felt like an eternity. I put it on and walked out of it. The door remained open - closing it could get more unwanted attention.

"Now go, Gordon," Spark said. I nodded at her. Time to get that message to Titanio.

I took two steps towards the door leading out when it slammed shut. The lights turned on and the Sandwoman stood next to the closed door. Oh shit.

"Where are you going?" A voice from behind said. Spark and I turned around.

"Why don't you stay a little longer?" Draegan asked. "The fun's just begun."


	8. I must get my priorities straight

**Hey there, guys! One day and a half overdue, but I've got it finished! Are you ready for the penultimate chapter? I hope you are. Either way, after my review, you can find the chapter:**

 _OddDangerSpiritualCyberLover17:_ _Thanks for reviewing! If you want an answer, I suggest reading the chapter instead of skipping to the bottom to review. What happens in a chapter usually explains the title or has something to do with the title._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

"Why don't you stay a little longer?" Draegan asked. "The fun's just begun."

I felt my blood boiling. Yes, I should have known he would pull something like this. Yes, I should have been more careful. What was I to do? I didn't know both wouldn't work out for me. I glanced around the room. Spark, who was standing a bit behind me, was doing the same. Sandwoman blocked the exit, far behind Spark, and Draegan stood away from us, out of my flames' reached. Yet, close enough to tackle us if we tried to run. We were trapped.

I tightened my grip on my flamethrowers, ready to use them if I had to. Though I couldn't see it, I was certain Spark balled her hands, too. Whatever was going to happen, we were not going to go down without a fight.

"I'd love to stay," I sad, "but there's places I need to be. Important appointments, made months ago. Can't miss 'em now."

Draegan didn't blink as he moved his gaze to me. "You'll have to reschedule." A shiver went up against my spine. Damn, that guy was creepy.

I shook my head. "I really can't," I shrugged, "I have to go." Titanio needed this information. We weren't the best of friends right now, but we were colleagues. He had to know what was going on.

Draegan folded his arms and took a step towards me. I pointed one flamethrower at him, ready to fry him if he dared to come too close.

"And I believe you don't want to go," he said.

"How come? Are you a mind reader?"

Draegan smiled at me. It wasn't a wicked grin, as you'd come to expect from a villain, but a friendly smile. It creeped me out.

"No," he said, "but if you go anywhere near the exit, you're going to sleep till Christmas." I gulped. Was that even possible, sleeping until Christmas? Was Draegan bluffing about what the Sandwoman could do (because he obviously was talking about her)? I turned my head and looked at the villainess. The look in her eyes made me realize she fully supported the claim he'd made.

I had to believe him, though I didn't want to. This was only my second (well, third) encounter of the villainess. How was I supposed to know how her powers work? For how long could she put someone in a deep sleep or, dare I say, into a coma? There was no way to tell.

"Okay, maybe I can reschedule," I answered. I really did not want to be Mr. Comatose. Even though I couldn't see it, I could feel Spark's glaring eyes in my back. It made me aware she was still here too. It made me wonder why she hadn't done anything yet. It made me think he still had some sort of influence on her, however small that may be, and that Spark might still be fighting it off.

Draegan turned his head away from me and looked at Spark - from his point of view, he could easily see us both.

"Spark..." He shook his head. "I should've known. You were too eager to know my plans. Though I have to say, I'm impressed. Good performance."

"Why did you tell her if you suspected she could betray you?" Now not only Spark but also Draegan and the Sandwoman were glaring at me as if I was speaking out of turn. And to be honest, it felt like that, too. "Just asking," I added and glanced at the ground, allowing them to talk.

Draegan watched me and Spark. "Because it doesn't matter what you know. It'll work either way. If nobody knows, that's fine. But when they know..." He chuckled. "Teenagers these days. They easily mistrust anyone if they have enough reason to."

So he wasn't going to conceal it at all. Whether Titanio knew, it wouldn't matter, because there would always be a divide. If the news got out... The mansion would soon be empty, with all these kids running on the streets, running from anyone who would approach them. Again, my imagination picked Jax Karaty as the face of these teenagers, walking through dark alleys, pushing everyone away from him. Again, I couldn't help but wonder why my mind always wandered off to Jax when I thought about those things. He wasn't the only one I knew who lived there.

"Not on our watch," Spark said. She had to be glaring at Draegan now. If looks could kill... No, wait, Spark doesn't kill. Let me rephrase. If looks could stun, Draegan would be lying on the ground. Yeah, sounds better. I raised the other flamethrower and aimed for Draegan. I think Spark raised her arms, but I couldn't tell.

Draegan sighed. "Why does it always have to lead to violence?" He asked. I frowned in confusion. I had never really heard a villain say something like that, not even the ones that don't like violence as much as, say, Megahertz. "Well, nothing we can change about that, now, can we?"

They immediately jumped into action. Draegan ran in my general direction and I readied myself to attack him. He ran straight past me. I turned around to follow him - he was going towards Spark - but it turned out that was what might've saved me. Sandwoman had come close to me, had her hands extended towards me. I could already imagine what would've happened if she placed them on my head.

I blocked her with my arm and shot some flames in her direction. She ducked, grabbed my leg and pulled it. I lost my balance and fell on my back. I didn't recover as quickly as I hoped - I blamed Spark's attack from last week for this, as well as not having to have dealt with stiff arms and legs for a long time. It still hurt as hell, falling down.

Before I could get up, Sandwoman pushed a hand on my chest and kept it there. I tried to get up, but that hand was in the way. She wasn't only a walking sleeping pill, but apparently, she also has super strength. I decided that, if I made it out of there alive, I'd stop underestimating the few villainesses that exist. Not only was doing that sexist, but it could also be the end of me.

She reached to my face with her other hand, as if to caress me. I knew better, and I bet you do, too. I did not let her. I lifted my arm and hit her in the shoulder with my flamethrower. She fell off of me, let go of me. It only lasted a few moments, but those few moments were all I needed to crawl away from her and to stand up.

Sandwoman and I stood eye to eye again. I did not hesitate to fire at her again, with my right arm. This time, she jumped to my left. In one smooth movement, I drove her further to her right side, to my left, while I came closer to her. At the right time, I slammed my left flamethrower in her stomach with all the power I could muster.

While that was going on, I tried not to burn her. Not because she's a she, but because it's cruel. Burning... It never is fun to burn. In the best case, you're left covered with burn wounds. In the best case, you might get the right medical attention right away. But burn marks don't fade away and the victims have to live with those marks and, possibly, with dead tissue. It won't heal easily or at all. It's a burden to carry for the rest of your life. I never knew why I chose a weapon that burned in the first place, but I do know Machine must've liked it.

Sandwoman fell on the ground, clutching her stomach. I punched her harder than I normally would with these weapons, but she still was one of my jailors. I didn't hesitate to hit her again, in her side, leaving her with an enormous amount of pain. She didn't make any attempts to do anything or go anywhere, so that was good. One down, one to go.

I turned my head to Spark and Draegan. I thought they were still fighting, but I was wrong. Draegan stood with his foot on Spark's hand, crushing it. Spark lay on her side, arms on the ground and trying her hardest not to scream in pain. He stepped off of it and Spark closed her eyes - it didn't look like she could get up soon. I hoped that wasn't the point where she went unconscious, otherwise, she couldn't get out of here without my help.

Without thinking, I lifted an arm and sent a stream of fire in his direction. The flames did not reach him, he was only inches out of reach. He turned his head and stepped away from Spark, who groaned. I walked towards him and he not only backed away from Spark, but walked away backward. This continued for quite a while, until we were almost on the other side of this gigantic room.

"What is it?" I asked, "Had enough?"

"No, not really." Draegan shrugged and stopped walking. "But you can either go after me or save your friend." I frowned, halted, glanced behind me.

Sandwoman hadn't been in as much pain as I thought she was. She did not stand, which was a comfort, but that did not stop her from crawling towards Spark. She was almost there, too. If I sprinted, I may get there in time to save Spark from a semi-permanent slumber, or whatever the villainess was capable of.

"You've got a choice to make now, Incinerator," Draegan said. "Me or your not-friend. It's up to you."

Damn it.

You'd think it'd be an easy choice, but it wasn't. My instincts told me to go after Draegan, and they usually did not tolerate any opposition. I wanted to listen to them because it would be an easy solution. I'd catch Draegan, I'd end this nightmare. He'd have to go to Mighty Max or any similar facility. We'd only have to weed out his followers between Titanio's new heroes, if there even were any. But if I chose Draegan, Sandwoman could get her hands on Spark. Who knows for how long Spark would be sleeping? I had no idea what that villainess thought of killing - for all I knew, she could choose to put her to rest forever, choking the life out of Spark while I pursued Draegan.

But then again, what would happen if I saved Spark from the Sandwoman? If I were lucky, I could still catch up with Draegan. But that man could always escape. He could run and create new followers on the fly - all it takes is one touch. He could recruit more of Titanio's teenage heroes, creating more discord and distrust with every passing day. He could continue to operate without any of us ever finding out. Yes, Spark would be safe, but at what cost? And did we not promise to stop evil at all costs? Some of us have died on the job before, it's not like it was such an uncommon occurrence.

Draegan began to walk away from me, a twisted smile on his face. That was my cue, and I made my decision.

Damn it.

I turned around and ran back to Spark. The Sandwoman had come close now, almost close enough to do her thing. I sprinted, going as fast as I could. I still feared I wouldn't reach her in time.

In the back of my mind, a voice scolded me. No, Gordon. Leave her, go after Draegan. Go take him down, prevent worse, be a hero. But I ignored it. As much as I wanted to listen to that voice, I ignored it. There's still a difference between doing the right thing and doing the right thing. Yes, I was leaving a big chance behind and my ambitious side that wanted to get rid of the 'evil me' did not agree with it. But if I went after him, there would've been a big chance I'd find a dead Spark if I returned. How could I live with myself knowing that I caught Draegan, but couldn't save a girl that would never admit she needed saving? I'd be a hero for catching the bad guy, but a monster for leaving her behind.

When I was almost there, Sandwoman reached out for Spark's face. I sped up, though nothing changed about my speed. But sparks flew and the Sandwoman was blasted away from her. I changed course, running towards the villainess. I punched her again with a flamethrower, this time in the face and with everything I got. She fell down and did not move. At that moment, I knew she wasn't going to put Spark to sleep anymore. I turned my head to her would-be victim, who glared at me. Because why wouldn't she?

I knew what I had to do. I promptly turned back around and went after Draegan. He wasn't anywhere to be found, but there was a corridor from where I stood before, so that's where he had to have gone. I followed his tracks, wished he wasn't a fast runner.

At the other side of the compound, I found an open door and without thinking twice, I ran through it. I came to a halt when the cold wind blew in my face. There wasn't anyone in sight. I'd ended up in the parking lot, where no cars were to be found.

At one side of the compound was a highway. Route 276, if I wasn't mistaken.

So either Draegan ran away through the bushes with a big distance between us, in any possible direction, or he took his car and fled onto the highway or into the village. In both scenarios, I wouldn't be able to catch up with him.

"Damn it!" I shouted as loudly as I could. If there had been something for me to kick, I would have done it. "Son of a bitch!"

I walked back inside the warehouse and slammed the door.


	9. I get some helpful advice

**Hey, guys! Here I am, with the last chapter, on the due date. I actually don't have much to say, except thanks for reading this. It's not one of my most successful stories or series, I know, so you're already making me a very happy person by reading this. Thank you so much. Without further ado, here's the last chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

It was such a beautiful day. Finally, it really felt like summer again. The last few days were terrible, weather-wise. It couldn't stop raining and the blowing winds were cold. I wouldn't have gone out of my house that day if the weather had been bad. But the sun was shining and the temperature was okay enough to go.

Where, you may ask? To the Fairmount Park in West Philadelphia. I didn't go there often, despite the fact that my lair lay in the nearby Lair District. What can I say, I'm not a nature person - I'd pick the city anytime. But that day, I had to be there. After all, that's where we decided to meet, me and Spark.

She had sent me another message through that phone I found in that hospital drawer. I knew there was something she wanted to give to me. Yet, she failed to specify what it was and didn't want to send me a picture of what it was. As if it was something top secret, which probably was the case. It sparked my interest, though I wondered why she would even want to give me something all of a sudden. So, I was interested but confused and suspicious, so I decided to give in to my interest and see what she had to offer.

There she was, not deep into the park, waiting under a tree, only a short walk away from the parking lot where I left my car. I almost didn't recognize her. My eyes widened - it was the first time I'd seen her in her civilian clothes. I had seen her in pictures of my brother from the time they were together - the mere thought made me shudder - but never in real life. The one thing I didn't expect her to carry, was a lady bag. You know, some purse all girls and women carry around with them? Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. I believed her to be more of a backpack kind of person, but I guess I was wrong.

When I finally came within earshot, she turned her head to me. I was certain she only now showed she knew I was coming - with her super hearing, she'd have heard me coming from miles away. I interpreted that moment in which she turned her head as my cue.

"You're not pretending to work with a villain again, are you?" I asked. "Because that's my job."

"Because that's my job."

Spark rolled her eyes in annoyance. I grinned - mission accomplished. Now I had to try not to irritate her, because that may not work out well for... well, anyone.

"I wanted to show you something," she said. Well, that was not very helpful.

"Do I have to be worried?" What could be so important to contact me again? It was the second time in two weeks. Yes, that is indeed worrisome, especially since we did not have any communication prior to this.

"Depends." She reached into her bag. She took some papers out of them and handed them to me. "Here."

I looked at them, unsure what to do with them.

"What's this?"

"Something the people won't read about," Spark responded. Damn, could she be less direct? Anyway, I took the papers and looked at them. These were drawings, black and white panels which could easily be turned into a comic book. I watched the images - there weren't any written words on it - and my eyes widened when I recognized the scenario.

The images depicted what happened last week in the warehouse. Everything from the moment Spark and I entered to the moment I ended up in the parking lot. These were Ambrose's, no doubt. (He's alive, by the way, he survived)

Then, I remembered what Spark said about these panels and I looked at her.

"Wait, these won't be published?" Why the hell would they not be published? This was undoubtedly one of my best moments, so why scrap it? I could really use the extra publicity, with all these readers calling me a soon-to-be traitor, calling me a wolf in sheep's clothing. Those are some of the nicest things I found on the internet.

Spark shrugged. "Ambrose liked it. It might be published, just not now. He called it 'dramatic tension'." I sighed. Stupid writers with their dramatic tension and plot and whatnots and... Writers. Don't know something excellent even if it screamed in their ears.

"So no early reveal of Draegan's plan..." I could understand why you'd want to hold that back, but he could have easily written other dialogue for this occasion. There wasn't a reason for him to scrap this entire section, especially when readers can enjoy my being good.

"Anyway," Spark said, "I never thanked you."

I looked up from Ambrose's drawings and stared at her. The hell did she just say!?

"Thank me?" Saying it out loud did not make it sound any more plausible. "Is there by any chance something wrong with you? Do you need to see a doctor?"

Spark took the opportunity and glared at me. "I hate you."

"No, you don't." Oh, Spark, you're so wrong. You hate my brother and you don't like me because of him. There's a difference. "You were saying?"

"I was so sure you were going to go after Draegan. But you came back for me. That was stupid and unnecessary." I frowned at her. That wasn't as kind as I expected it to be. But then again, it was Spark talking, so I didn't know what I had expected.

"You said you'd thank me, not scold me."

"You didn't do anything useful by coming back. You let him go, something I didn't think you were capable of doing. Thank you for choosing to save me over chasing him."

Well, thank you for thanking me, but that was a pretty shitty move. "Now you're just rubbing it in, are you?"

"You still don't get it, do you?" I didn't respond. I couldn't. In her words, I didn't get it. Spark sighed in response. "You're an idiot, Gordon."

I nodded. "Can't argue with that."

"Heroes don't just capture criminals," she explained. I got the feeling I was annoying her, but then again, I always felt like I annoyed her. "That's what everyone reads about in the comic books. But there's more than that. If you focused on rescuing the damsels in distress and put capturing criminals on the second place, you might get a popularity boost." She sounded so sure of myself that I would listen. And I did, but not only because she talked about me potentially getting a popularity boost if I took her advice. But still, I was suspicious.

"And you're telling me this, why?" There has to be a reason. There was always a reason.

Spark shrugged. "Can't I give you some advice?"

"Yeah, but it's so..." I paused. What was it like? "... So _unlike_ you."

For some moments, she did not respond. I cheered on the inside because, oh my god, I made Spark speechless, even if it was for only a few seconds. Not many people can say that. Eventually, though, she still had an answer at the ready.

"Maybe I just want to help you for once," she said, "But I still hate you."

"Of course you do," I answered, grinning. A half smile appeared on her face, too, but it was so small I almost didn't notice it. Still, it was there, and I was certain to count it as one of my big accomplishments: look, no matter what I did, Spark smiled at me. Given her personality, that's saying a lot. Making her smile must run in the family.

"I gotta go," I said, "Take care, Spark."

"You too, Gordon," she said, and I turned around and walked back to my car. I kept the panels - Ambrose could draw it again, with his ability to see what's going on and remember it for, like, six months. He could replicate it if he wanted. I hope. He's not getting them back.

Behind me, Spark decided to fly away hen she was certain nobody was watching. Luckily, the people of Philadelphia were so oblivious they wouldn't recognize a superhero even if one stood in front of them in full hero gear.

I thought a lot of the things she told me. The message stuck with me better than I expected. It made me realize something. Not in the way that I now know that I should probably try harder to save civilians, but it resonated with me on a personal level. I hadn't just been ignoring civilians, in the plural form, I'd been ignoring one particular one. One that's very dear to me. One I should have visited a long time ago because I was too afraid to visit her. No, I probably was too ashamed to visit her. Besides, the cemetery wasn't too far away.

I made the decision I should have made a long time ago. I stepped into my car at last and drove to the cemetery, to pay Bianca a long overdue visit.


End file.
